My Old Ass Reminds Us That To Be Wise You First Have To Be Young

If you could talk to your older self, would you follow your advice?

This week, the Miami Film Society delighted moviegoers at the Koubek Center with an early screening of My Old Ass, a dramatic comedy that sheds light on the anxiety of aging and the spontaneity of youth.

The film follows Elliot Labrant, a free-spirited teenager trying to savor her last days of adolescence, as she prepares to leave her family’s cranberry farm to start college.

On her 18th birthday, Elliot gets high on mushrooms and hallucinates a face-to-face encounter with her 39-year-old self whom she refers to as my old ass.

The movie takes off when the younger Elliot asks her older self one thing she would change about her life, and she is told to avoid a boy named Chad. 

Elliot soon realizes she can communicate with her future-self on the phone. The two characters quickly fall into a Pinocchio-Jiminy Cricket dynamic, with the older Elliot serving as the younger Elliot’s conscience. 

In time, the 18-year-old, who once longed to escape her mundane life, transforms into someone who appreciates moments with family and friends and fears the future. 

But eventually, distance grows between the two when the older Elliot stops responding to the younger Elliot for four days, forcing the youngster to trust her own decision making.

Canadian actress Maisy Stella confidently portrays a relatable, hopeful and immature teenage Elliot, while Parks and Recreation star Aubrey Plaza plays an excellent older Elliot, who despite having less screen time, is calmer and more serious, but maintains young Elliot’s spark.

The film’s visuals are striking. Vivid colors, such as royal blue and deep green, enhance the nostalgic atmosphere of the teenager’s last summer and close-up shots allow audiences to intimately follow the characters’ development. 

My Old Ass uses sarcasm and funny circumstances to emphasize the silliness of being young and you find yourself laughing through the tense and deeper theme of growing up.

Teenagers and adults will both resonate with this movie because it explores the contrast between youthful and adult wisdom. By the end of the film, the older Elliot learns to make peace with her past and the younger Elliot learns to appreciate her present.

The film ends by echoing the message that older people are wise because they were once young; we learn by taking risks, making mistakes and enduring heartbreak.

My Old Ass opens in theaters on Sept. 13.