Tomorrow, When the War Began: a film made in a lab for 2010s Australian teens

Tomorrow, When The War Began – both the 2010 film and the John Marsden series it’s based on – is ostensibly an action-adventure story. A group of Australian teens go on a remote camping trip, and upon returning to their fictional town of Wirrawee, they learn the country has been invaded by an unnamed nation. But when I was 13 watching the movie in cinemas for the first time, I was far more transfixed by the adolescent thrill of it all: a child who couldn’t wait to be all grown up, observing the world of teenage debauchery with impatient awe. Related: Smiley Face: finally, a stoner comedy for the girls who get overstimulated at the supermarket I was hooked from the first few minutes by the simple fact that this movie feels like it was made in a lab for Australian teenagers existing in the exact microcosm of 2010. The strong-willed and independent main character Ellie is played by Caitlin Stasey, an instantly recognisable face for any kid tuned into free-to-air TV in the 2000s; Phoebe Tonkin, one of the mermaids in teen drama H2O: Just Add Water, is prim townie Fiona; and Home and Away heart-throb Lincoln Lewis is masculine country boy Kevin. The all-Australian soundtrack is peppered with 2000s classics including Jet, Sarah Blasko and Missy Higgins, whose track Steer has never sounded as good as it does in the opening title sequence. Beyond the well-known faces, the gang of teens felt true to life, long before diversity became a buzzword. There was Deniz Akdeniz’s mischievous and proud Greek boy Homer, Ashleigh Cummings’ shy church girl Robyn, and Chris Pang’s sweet and introspective first generation Vietnamese and Thai kid Lee. This wasn’t taking place in some faraway land like California or New York; these characters were like the people I actually knew and could place in my ordinary life. Sign up for the fun stuff with our rundown of must-reads, pop culture and tips for the weekend, every Saturday morning This movie had such an impact on my teena…