One of my favourite foundations for a movie is a young character with improbable confidence. Whether it’s Mattie Ross (Hailee Steinfeld) in True Grit or Max Fischer (Jason Schwartzman) in Rushmore, there’s something instantly charming and loaded with potential in a character who knows their own mind, and charges forward in a world of adults. They’re often the product of an unusual background, and they continually baffle those around them, but there’s a sense that once the wider world gets a few knocks in, their smarts will see them through.
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