Skip to content
What's After the Movie?
Music drama

Teen Spirit (2019): Cast, Ratings, Box Office & Plot

Teen Spirit (2019) movie poster

Teen Spirit is a 2019 music drama starring Elle Fanning as Violet, Zlatko Buric and Archie Madekwe. It runs 1 hour 33 minutes and earned $1.6 million worldwide. Critics gave it 73% on Rotten Tomatoes and 57 on Metacritic.

Rotten Tomatoes
73%
worldwide gross
$1.6M
Echo Score
51
Metascore
57
Loading streaming availability…
Teen Spirit (2019) movie poster
Released
Runtime
1h 33m (93 min)
Genres
Drama , Music
Original language
English
After the credits
Yes Extra scene during or after the credits
The story

What Is Teen Spirit About?

The premise of Teen Spirit without spoilers. The whole story is in the plot summary further down.

A shy teenager finds solace and a path to self-discovery through music. When an unexpected mentor encourages her to enter a local singing competition, she grapples with insecurities and must find the strength to share her talent with the world. The experience becomes a journey of personal growth as she confronts her past and embraces her potential.

Teen Spirit Themes & Keywords

· 4 tags
  • ghost hunting
  • haunting
  • paranormal phenomenon
  • paranormal investigation
Loading streaming availability…
Cast & crew

Teen Spirit Cast & Characters

Elle Fanning leads the cast as Violet, with Zlatko Buric as Vlad and Archie Madekwe as Luke.

Ratings

Teen Spirit Reviews & Ratings

Critics gave Teen Spirit 73% on Rotten Tomatoes and 57 on Metacritic. Our Echo Score gives it 51/100, strongest in art & craft (65) and weakest in rewatch factor (35).

51 /100

Teen Spirit Echo Score Breakdown

Teen Spirit delivers a visually appealing directorial debut with uneven narrative and limited lasting appeal. The film’s strength lies in its polished cinematography and the central performance, which most find engaging despite superficial character development. Reviewers point to fun musical sequences and slick club scenes, though criticism emerges around thin plotting and generic dialogue that undercuts emotional investment. When it comes to pace and depth, the story often feels abbreviated and predictable, limiting engagement. Overall, Teen Spirit offers fleeting enjoyment but falls short of substantial resonance on repeat viewings.

Our own 0–100 rating, built from five aspects: art, character, story, the sensory experience and how well a film rewatches.

  • Art & Craft 65

    The film’s visual design shows polished framing and bright color palettes, lending an energetic sheen to club sequences. Cinematography frequently captures the allure of performance spaces with concise staging. However, editing choices sometimes feel jittery and disorienting, and moodily lit scenes obscure focal details. Direction is confident in style but uneven in coherence, resulting in an aesthetic that is appealing on occasion but lacks consistent precision.

  • Character & Emotion 55

    Acting is generally solid, particularly Elle Fanning’s poised vocal performances, which anchor the film’s emotional core. Yet character arcs often remain thinly sketched, with limited moments of depth or genuine chemistry between leads. Emotional resonance is dampened by surface-level motivations, and supporting figures rarely achieve memorable presence. In terms of character development, Teen Spirit presents competent performances but offers minimal complexity, curtailing deeper investment.

  • Story & Flow 45

    The narrative framework follows a familiar star-is-born trajectory updated for a modern setting, yet it unfolds with a brevity that undermines cohesion. Plot progression is predictable, marked by generic dialogue and cursory subplots that resolve too swiftly. Measured pacing gives way to abrupt transitions, and originality is limited to minor deviations from genre conventions. In terms of story flow, Teen Spirit’s slim plot consistently feels underdeveloped, hindering sustained engagement.

  • Sensory Experience 55

    The soundtrack delivers a handful of catchy pop numbers that amplify performance scenes, and production design uses vibrant lighting to evoke concert energy. Sound design aligns well with musical moments, creating immersive club atmospheres. However, reliance on auto-tune and occasional abrasive audio mixing detracts from clarity, and some visual sequences verge on over-stylized. From a sensory standpoint, the film offers spirited highlights but suffers from uneven sonic and visual consistency.

  • Rewatch Factor 35

    Initial viewings may entertain with glossy performances and upbeat musical interludes, but the film’s thin narrative and limited character nuance reduce incentives for repeat watches. The pacing and predictable plot provide little new discovery, and few moments carry sustained resonance beyond first impressions. In terms of replay appeal, Teen Spirit offers fleeting enjoyment yet lacks the depth or complexity that encourages long-term engagement or multiple viewings.

Plot

Teen Spirit Plot Summary

What happens in Teen Spirit from start to finish, spoilers included, with a timeline of 14 key events. The opening is below; the full summary is a 3-minute read.

Spoilers ahead

On the Isle of Wight, a shy teenager, Violet, dreams of pop stardom as a way to escape a bleak home life and a sense of being stuck in a small world. She sings in a nearly empty bar, a secret kept from her mother, when an older man named Vlad approaches her, claiming he once sang opera in Croatia and insisting she’s got real talent. Violet isn’t convinced and pushes back, even telling him she’s 21 to deter his interest.

Full summary

The whole story of Teen Spirit, scene by scene

Read the full summary
Box office

Teen Spirit Box Office

Teen Spirit grossed $1.6 million worldwide. $441,366 came from the US and Canada and $1.1 million (72%) from the rest of the world.

2019 box office

Worldwide gross

$1.6M

US & Canada
$441.4K
International
$1.1M
US & Canada 28% Rest of the world 72%
Videos

Teen Spirit Trailers & Videos

2 videos: 2 trailers.

Official Trailer 1
  • Trailer Official Trailer 2
Quiz

How Well Do You Know Teen Spirit?

10 questions about the story, each with a hint if you get stuck. Pick an answer to see whether you were right.

Question 1 of 10

  1. Question 1: not answered
  2. Question 2: not answered
  3. Question 3: not answered
  4. Question 4: not answered
  5. Question 5: not answered
  6. Question 6: not answered
  7. Question 7: not answered
  8. Question 8: not answered
  9. Question 9: not answered
  10. Question 10: not answered

What national singing competition does Violet enter?

Cars

Cars in Teen Spirit

4 cars on screen, including the 1989 Volkswagen Caravelle T3 Typ 2 and the Mercedes-Benz V-Klasse W447.

  • 1989 Volkswagen Caravelle T3 Typ 2 in Teen Spirit 1989 Volkswagen Caravelle T3 Typ 2 Main role
  • Mercedes-Benz V-Klasse W447 in Teen Spirit Mercedes-Benz V-Klasse W447 Minor role
  • 2005 Audi A8 D3 in Teen Spirit 2005 Audi A8 D3 Background role
  • Jeep Grand Cherokee in Teen Spirit Jeep Grand Cherokee Background role
Details

Teen Spirit Also Known As

21 alternative titles, including “Max Minghella s Teen Spirit” and “Alcanzando tu sueño”.

Also known as
  • Max Minghella s Teen Spirit
  • Alcanzando tu sueño
  • ティーンスピリット:2019
  • Spiritul adolescent
  • За мечтой
  • 틴 스피릿
  • За мрією
  • רק רוצה לשיר
  • Espírito Jovem
  • Moja gwiazda: Teen Spirit
  • Духът на младостта
  • 少年追梦情
+9 more
  • 魔力女聲
  • ทีน สปิริต
  • Teen Spirit - A un passo dal sogno
  • Teen Spirit: Pretī sapnim
  • Violet hangja
  • Jít za svým snem
  • Jaunoji žvaigždė
  • روح مرحلة المراهقة
  • ティーンスピリット

Seen Teen Spirit?

FAQ

Teen Spirit FAQ: Cast, Box Office & Runtime

Runtime, release date, cast, box office, ratings and post-credit scenes of Teen Spirit, each answered in a sentence.

How long is Teen Spirit?

Teen Spirit runs 1 hour 33 minutes (93 minutes).

When was Teen Spirit released?

Teen Spirit was released on April 12, 2019.

Who is in the cast of Teen Spirit?

Teen Spirit stars Elle Fanning as Violet, Zlatko Buric as Vlad and Archie Madekwe as Luke, among 20 credited actors.

How much did Teen Spirit make at the box office?

Teen Spirit grossed $1.6 million worldwide ($441,366 domestic, $1.1 million international).

How is Teen Spirit rated?

Teen Spirit has 73% on Rotten Tomatoes, 57 on Metacritic, 60% on TMDB and 3.0/5 on Letterboxd.

Does Teen Spirit have a post-credit scene?

Yes. Teen Spirit has an extra scene during or after the credits, so it is worth staying seated.

Coming soon to your phone

The Plot Explained Movie Summary App

From blockbusters to hidden gems: plot summaries, endings explained and timelines on your phone. Save your favorites and never miss a twist again.

Be the first to know when it launches. Your email stays private, always. Learn more about the app