In the little-known 1989 film Lost Angels, Tim, played by Adam Horovitz of the Beastie Boys, tries to fight for his right to party and ends up in juvenile detention, and later, a psychiatric facility.In all seriousness, though, the film chronicles his growth and serves as a subtle commentary on the alienation of youth and the corporate nature of institutions designed to help troubled kids.
The film has pro-single written all over it.Tim gets into trouble while hanging around with a girlfriend, Cheryl (Amy Locane), a troubled rich kid who drives the family into car into a swimming pool.That leads to both of their arrests, which then leads to Tim’s abusive father finding drugs and a gun, which Tim had procured during a scuffle between his gang and a Latinx gang.After his commitment to the institution, he begins to grow with the help of a psychiatrist named Loftis, played by Donald Sutherland.
The first aspect of the pro-single message: Cheryl is trouble.During the film, Tim is fighting against the influence of his stepbrother, Andy, the gang leader who’s encouraging him to break out so he can commit violent crimes with said gang.At the end, when Tim has finally decided to stand up to Andy, we see Cheryl in the truck with Andy, ready to “start a life” with him.I applauded when Tim walked off.
Aspect #2: Tim’s father, who’s pretty much disowned his son.We see he’s remarried; his wife is Andy’s mother.Apparently, the influence of marriage hasn’t settled Richard down; he’s the same violent, abusive guy at the end of the film.Tim gives up on trying to gain his acceptance.Self-acceptance seems to be the theme of Lost Angels.
The final one: the supporting character of Loftis, who could have inspired Robin Williams’s psychiatrist in Good Will Hunting.During the back half of the film, Tim visits his home on a day pass, and we see that Loftis puts the needs of kids in the center ahead of his own wife and family, much to his wife’s anger, so much that she says “flip your own steaks” when Loftis asks her to do so in order for him to help the troubled Tim.
This struck out to me the most.The trope of the professional who neglects their family has been done to death.And, at the end of the movie/show, the professional learns to put their family first.But what if having the family was a mistake, and the professional was meant to pour themselves into their work?The prophet Paul was all about serving God instead of marrying.Loftis is doing important work, helping teenagers find their way.At the end, he and his wife have separated, and we don’t know whether they’ll get back together.As he says to Tim, “that’s my door.Open yours.”But like Bryan Stevenson, the man who eschewed marriage to help free innocent people from Death Row, and Erin Gruwell, who taught kids how to write their way of bad living situations, Loftis is serving the public good.I hope he’ll be a good father to his kids moving forward, but perhaps marriage was never in the cards for him?
I like to think I’m doing something similar by advocating for all singles through my writing and involvement.My friend Drew told me, “You’re doing God’s work.”While I am agnostic, I think there’s merit in that idea.