Soleil Moon Frye (Punky Brewster actress & the director of this doc) has opened up her personal video diary to the world to share what the experience of coming of age was like for her as a famous child actress. Every person, famous or not, has their own coming of age experience that sometimes you can only fully understand in retrospect, so in that regard this film is relatable to anyone. At the same time, it's different because most people do not transition from beloved child TV star into a teenager in front of the eyes of the world. This film documents not only her experience of that and those of her famous friends, but there are also shared themes amongst her peers, including mental health issues, the highs and lows of creativity, struggles with self-esteem/identity, addiction or abuse of drugs/alcohol, and other traumas. This documentary strips away the shiny pages of Teen Beat to show you the exciting house party and the devastating the morning after (literally and metaphorically), for better or worse. Hollywood is a fast place that many people struggle to navigate at any age. That is magnified for young actors.
The perspective of this film is always that of Soleil. As a viewer, you get the feeling that making this film is a cathartic experience for her, an attempt to heal things of the past. There's lots of home video footage with her now adult observations of the impact of who she was then on the person she is now. Because of that, it feels at times like the documentary meanders with no concrete premise in mind, but that's also kind of the point of it. It's meant to be a raw, real exploration without easy answers. Overall, I found it very interesting!
The perspective of this film is always that of Soleil. As a viewer, you get the feeling that making this film is a cathartic experience for her, an attempt to heal things of the past. There's lots of home video footage with her now adult observations of the impact of who she was then on the person she is now. Because of that, it feels at times like the documentary meanders with no concrete premise in mind, but that's also kind of the point of it. It's meant to be a raw, real exploration without easy answers. Overall, I found it very interesting!