An intimate look at the interior lives of a group of teenage girls as they come of age in Brooklyn.
All This Panic is a feature length documentary that takes an intimate look at the interior lives of a group of teenage girls as they come of age in Brooklyn. A potent mix of vivid portraiture and vérité, we follow the girls as they navigate the ephemeral and fleeting transition between childhood and adulthood. Shot over a three-year period in a lush and cinematic style, All This Panic is a meditation on the mysterious, often painful, yet ultimately exhilarating period of a teen’s life. In a world where, as one teen remarks ‘they want to see us, but they don’t want to hear us’ this film is comprised entirely of young women speaking to their own experiences. And these are city kids, raised in the cultural capital of the world, where everything moves fast. These girls appear savvy and sophisticated, but their Brooklyn attitudes can’t obliterate the baseline insecurities, fears and awkwardness shared by teens across the globe. Like all teens, they’re a fascinating hybrid species made up of contradictory elements. Their world is full of secrets and sex, parties and drugs, and shifting bonds with family and friends. There’s no map for the road ahead and life-altering decisions are made in the blink of an eye. All This Panic centers on the complex transition that all young women experience in their formative teenage years, focusing on the trauma of moving from the relative protection of childhood into a more independent, less-structured future that’s theirs to embrace as more mature versions of their teen selves.
Director Jenny Gage and Tom Betterton (DP) are a couple and long time collaborators on fine art, photography and film projects. Their fine art work has appeared in gallery and museum shows throughout the world. Their commissioned work and portraits have been featured in publications including W, Vanity Fair, and Italian Vogue. Their short film Drift screened at international festivals and museums. Jenny received her MFA in photography from Yale University. All This Panic is the latest project in a celebrated career that has centered on the images and inner lives of young women across several mediums and genres.
