[5] In the making of his film, Matt Wolf used those parts from Savage's book that were also found in archival footage of the era so that they could be shown in their original form on the screen.

[9] The main thesis of Wolf, as it unfolds through the documentary narrative, is that the teenagers gradually became a distinct demographic due to social changes such as their entrance in the labour force and conscription.

[10] Wolf's documentary does not follow a linear historical account of the events but develops its story by meandering through the musings and thoughts of past youth which are voiced by the actors.

[2] In an interview with the Tribeca Film Festival, Wolf was asked why he highlighted the personalities of Bright young things member Brenda Dean Paul, Hitler Youth Melita Maschmann, Swing Kid Tommy Scheel, and Boy Scout Warren Hall in his documentary.

Wolf continued that he considers Nazi-era youth Tommy Scheel, who smuggled swing records and British fashion as a form of rebellion against the Nazis, as the "hippest of them all" and "almost like a proto-punk".

had in common, Wolf replied: "Rebellion", which, although expressed in different ways and contexts, "it all contained a kernel of desire to break away from their parents’ generation’s values and beliefs".

The reviewer ends the critique by commenting that the pictures of teens of years past have the same expressions as those of modern youth, which reflect similar beliefs.

[6] The Guardian remarks that in the documentary, Wolf "concentrates on the strange, bubbling energy and intensity", although he could have also presented the more sad or mundane aspects of teenage life.