Young Ones
On a drought-ravaged future frontier, a farmer's family and an ambitious suitor collide over water, land, and survival.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Moderate
- somber
- bleak
- ethereal
- late night viewing
- bleak sci fi marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly found the film visually compelling and distinctive but narratively thin, dramatically spare, and insufficiently fresh within the dystopian western tradition.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The dwindling water supply governs both public policy and the Holm family's personal relationships.
The film combines advanced machinery and water infrastructure with farms, bandits, bartering, and frontier isolation.
The narrative is explicitly told in three chapters and layers a Greek-tragedy pattern over a futuristic western.
The dust-covered frontier, withered land, and harsh open spaces are central to the film's visual identity.
Films like Young Ones, and why
The Rover
near-future western setting, scarce resources, and bleak survivalist atmosphere
Mad Max: Fury Road
post-apocalyptic frontier violence, stark landscapes, and morally compromised survivors
The Road
dystopian scarcity, family conflict, and austere speculative world-building
The Proposition
mythic revenge structure, stylized rural futurism, and fatalistic drama
Movie Details
- Director
- Jake Paltrow
- Release Date
- 2014-06-28
- Runtime
- 100 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (341)
Cast
- Michael Shannon
- Nicholas Hoult
- Elle Fanning
- Kodi Smit-McPhee
- Aimee Mullins
- Christy Pankhurst
- Alex McGregor
- Robert Hobbs
- David Butler
- David Clatworthy
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Young Ones about?
- On a drought-ravaged future frontier, a farmer's family and an ambitious suitor collide over water, land, and survival.
- What is Young Ones like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Young Ones as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Young Ones violent?
- Somewhat. Ember rates the violence in Young Ones as moderate.
- What did critics think of Young Ones?
- Critics broadly found the film visually compelling and distinctive but narratively thin, dramatically spare, and insufficiently fresh within the dystopian western tradition.
- Which films are like Young Ones?
- Films with a similar feel include The Rover, Mad Max: Fury Road, The Road, and The Proposition.
- How long is Young Ones?
- Young Ones runs 100 minutes.
- Where can I watch Young Ones?
- In United States, Young Ones streams on Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, fuboTV, Amazon Prime Video with Ads.
