Coming of Age
Coming of Age documents an odyssey taken by a group of courageous teenagers who attend a week at “Brotherhood Camp.” Here they confront the otherwise taboo subjects of racial identity and racism, male-female relations and sexism, and painful aspects of family dynamics including sexual victimization. Hanig intercuts footage of encounter group sessions--which often change suddenly from intimate to explosive--with scenes of candid conversations among the teenagers as well as large group meetings. All reveal a moving portrait of teenagers dealing with their world in a provocatively honest manner, accentuated by Hanig's focus on how, within these encounters, subtle signals can set off or sustain interpersonal, sexual and racial conflicts.