Romance Meets Coming-of-Age in “Young Werther”

Young Werther (José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço, 2024) 4 out of 5 stars

It doesn’t matter whether or not you’ve heard of the 1774 novella The Sorrows of Young Werther, by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, to get swept up in its lavish modernization, Young Werther. Written and directed by José Lourenço in his feature-film debut, the film introduces Werther (Douglas Booth, Shoshana), a lively socialite as well as an aspiring but insecure writer, as he sets out for Toronto to take care of family business. Along the way, accompanied by his friend, Paul (Jaouhar Ben Ayed, Mary), Werther has a meet-cute with Charlotte (Alison Pill, Trap). He is smitten, immediately, but there’s a problem: Charlotte is engaged! Nevertheless, Werther determines that the presumed fiancé, Albert (Patrick J. Adams, He Went That Way), is a workaholic and, thus, an unsuitable match for Charlotte. Inevitably, a love triangle ensues.

The tone is decidedly quirky, from the vibrant visual style to Werther’s dialogue. Booth deftly rattles off words that sound very much like they’ve been pulled from the source material, which goes a long way in establishing his personality and the pitch for the film at large. It lends well to the locales and routines that might have felt wildly outdated in a different film. Booth is also surrounded by a likewise talented ensemble. Expected rom-com standards are flipped on their head, but Young Werther goes a step further as an equally straightforward coming-of-age tale. When we meet Werther and Paul, they are opposites: Paul is overly cautious, to put it mildly, while Werther exudes a lack of concern for almost anything or anyone. They both ultimately grow as people by listening to each other and taking the other’s advice. Werther’s journey is not just about his openly-stated goal to “get the girl,” but to own his selfishness, develop some empathy, and grow up. Some rom-coms include this theme, but not all and, here, it shines.

One downside worth noting is Werther’s early romantic pursuit of Charlotte. Under the explicit deceit of being “best friends,” it evokes the “nice guy” trope. Initially, Werther and Charlotte delve into the honeymoon phase of a relationship, friends or otherwise. The film portrays this with whimsy, bright colors and laughter-filled montages. This works in the long run, though, because once conflict catches up to them, it’s made very clear that Werther’s behavior directly affects everyone in terrible ways and continues to do so as the film goes on.

What starts as a charming but seemingly familiar story ultimately weaves a much more unique experience that winds its way to a sensible if unexpected conclusion, appropriately altering the source material. This may not necessarily be everyone’s cup of tea, but there’s undeniably something charming about the film that draws you in. Though Young Werther clocks in at almost two hours, the bittersweet ending may very well leave you curious to know what happens next.

Robin C. Farrell

Robin C. Farrell is a video editor, videographer, author, podcaster, and nerd. She has earned editing and writing awards from the Tellys, TIVA-DC Peer Awards, and film festivals, self-published her first book, Resistance Rising, and is an editor and writer for Star Wipe Films, annually participating in film race competitions. When she’s not working, you can find Robin playing D&D, exploring coffee shops, or dreaming up new projects.