It’s not easy being nineteen. For Leonardo, it means moving from one city to another, then to another, from one university to another, then to another, wondering what the point–of everything–is. Caught in a seemingly eternal pursuit to escape adulthood, perhaps fearful of settling down and losing his edge, the young man at the center of Giovanni Tortorici’s debut feature is as shape-shifting and unpredictable as the film he is in. The director’s assured eye captures the multiple, often contradictory, states of being of Leonardo with a camera that gracefully shifts from naturalism to Nouvelle Vague-esque experimentation, crafting a wholly original coming-of-age story that defies all conventions of the genre.

One of the most eclectic films at this year’s LICHTER Filmfest, Nineteen is an often funny, sometimes dark, and always interesting take on the pains and pitfalls of growing up.