Colossal Youth (2018) — AI Story Visualization

Plot Analysis Summary

Ryder faces pressure about his future and relationships, then finds a path toward understanding through honest confrontation and reconciliation with his father.

Story Structure — 5 Plot Phases

A Car and Expectations

Ryder starts senior year hopeful and receives a 1967 Chevelle as a project car. His father's advice about swimming and scholarships becomes another source of pressure, and Ryder eventually leaves the sport.

Key Events

• Senior Year Begins — Ryder begins senior year feeling optimistic about what lies ahead. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: School
• Hopes for Independence — Ryder hopes a car will give him independence and help him impress girls. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Unspecified
• Chevelle Surprise — Ryder's parents surprise him with a project car. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Home
• A Work in Progress — Ryder's father compares the unfinished car to Ryder's own development. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Home
• Pressure to Swim — Ryder's father urges him to pursue swimming and scholarship opportunities. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Unspecified
• Leaving the Sport — Ryder eventually gives up swimming and struggles with expectations placed on him. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Unspecified

Confidences and Complications

Ryder confides in Greg, who encourages him to pursue his own future. Ryder's unreturned feelings and failure to recognize a longtime friend's care complicate his relationships.

Key Events

• Leaving the Sport — Ryder eventually gives up swimming and struggles with expectations placed on him. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Unspecified
• Confiding in Greg — Ryder tells Greg about the pressure of disappointing his father. Characters: Ryder Jensen, Greg Randle Location: Unspecified
• Greg's Encouragement — Greg relates to Ryder's concerns and encourages him to shape his own future. Characters: Ryder Jensen, Greg Randle Location: Unspecified
• Unreturned Feelings — Ryder has feelings for a girl who does not return them. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Unspecified
• A Friend Overlooked — A longtime friend cares for Ryder, but he is slow to recognize it. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Unspecified
• Tensions at Home — Ryder's difficulties at home add to his sense of pressure. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Home

Escaping the Pressure

A student tells Ryder to stay away, but he follows when she leaves school in tears after a fight with her parents. Greg's nights out and Ryder's car trouble add to the strain rather than resolving his problems.

Key Events

• Tensions at Home — Ryder's difficulties at home add to his sense of pressure. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Home
• A Student's Anger — Another student is upset with Ryder and tells him to stay away. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: School
• Following Her Outside — After the student leaves school in tears following a fight with her parents, Ryder follows to check on her despite Greg's complaints. Characters: Ryder Jensen, Greg Randle Location: School
• Nights of Escape — Greg draws Ryder into nights out, drinking, and partying as Ryder tries to escape his problems. Characters: Ryder Jensen, Greg Randle Location: Unspecified
• Car Trouble — Trouble with Ryder's car adds to his frustration, and Greg says he can lift Ryder's spirits. Characters: Ryder Jensen, Greg Randle Location: Unspecified

Confrontation and Repair

Ryder clashes with his father and admits his fears about college, his future, and never measuring up. His father apologizes and reassures him, and Ryder accepts the apology.

Key Events

• Clash with His Father — Ryder's frustration boils over in a clash with his father. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Home
• Fear of Falling Short — Ryder admits he feels inadequate, fears he may not get into college, and feels lost about his future. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Home
• Recognizing His Feelings — Ryder recognizes he pursued someone who did not love him while overlooking a longtime friend's care. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Home
• Father's Apology — Ryder's father apologizes, explains his intentions, and reassures Ryder of his love. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Home
• Reconciliation — Ryder accepts his father's apology and they reconcile. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Home

A Memorial Close

Principal Hagerson complains about the school and the people who make his job difficult. The closing moments show Jordan Oliver's yearbook memorial page and the remark that Jordan would be proud.

Key Events

• Reconciliation — Ryder accepts his father's apology and they reconcile. Characters: Ryder Jensen Location: Home
• Principal's Complaint — Principal Hagerson complains about the school and the people who make his job difficult. Characters: Principal Hagerson Location: School
• Yearbook Memorial — Ryder is shown Jordan Oliver's memorial page, and someone says Jordan would be proud. Characters: Ryder Jensen, Jordan Oliver Location: Unspecified

Story Breakdown

• Senior Year Hopes — Ryder begins senior year with optimism and imagines a car as a route to independence.
  • Seeking Independence — Ryder hopes a car will give him independence and help him impress girls.
  • Chevelle Surprise — His parents give him a 1967 Chevelle project car.
• Parental Expectations — Ryder's father urges him to pursue swimming and scholarships, while Ryder struggles to meet expectations.
  • Swimming Pressure — Ryder's father points him toward swimming and scholarship opportunities.
  • Leaving the Sport — Ryder gives up swimming and feels burdened by expectations.
• Greg's Support — Ryder confides in Greg, who understands his worries and encourages him to make his own way.
  • Shared Pressure — Ryder tells Greg about fearing his father's disappointment.
  • A Future of His Own — Greg encourages Ryder to keep working toward a future he chooses.
• Complicated Feelings — Ryder's romantic confusion leaves him slow to notice a longtime friend's care.
  • Unreturned Affection — Ryder has feelings for someone who does not return them.
  • Overlooked Care — Ryder later recognizes he overlooked a longtime friend's feelings for him.
• Conflict and Escape — Home tensions and school conflict coincide with Ryder's attempts to get away from his problems.
  • Following the Student — Ryder follows a student who leaves school in tears after fighting with her parents.
  • Nights Out — Greg draws Ryder into drinking and partying as he tries to escape his problems.
• Car Frustrations — Trouble with the Chevelle adds to Ryder's frustration while Greg offers to lift his spirits.
  • Vehicle Trouble — Problems with the car become another source of frustration for Ryder.
  • Greg's Reassurance — Greg insists he can help improve Ryder's mood.
• Father and Son — A confrontation lets Ryder voice his fears, and his father's apology opens the way to reconciliation.
  • Fear of Failure — Ryder says he feels unable to measure up, fears he may not get into college, and feels lost.
  • Apology and Repair — His father explains his intentions, reassures Ryder of his love, and receives Ryder's acceptance.
• Closing Reflections — The closing moments move from the principal's complaint to a yearbook memorial for Jordan Oliver.
  • Principal's Complaint — Principal Hagerson complains about the school and the people who make his job difficult.
  • Jordan's Memorial — Ryder is shown Jordan's memorial page, accompanied by the remark that Jordan would be proud.

Directed by

R. Scott Leisk

Key Cast

• Troy Osterberg — Ryder Jensen
• Kimmy Caruso — Erica Severson
• Riker Lynch — Greg Randle
• Jesse Borrego — Mr. De La Vega
• Reece Everett Ryan — Jordan Oliver