My Old Ass review: Coming-of-age movie staring Maisy Stella and Aubrey Plaza packs an emotional punch

If you could give your 18-year-old self a piece of advice, “wear your retainer” is not necessarily top-of-mind, but it’s a solid one.

Be nice to your parents, don’t listen to that crazy boss, spend more time with people you love, don’t sweat the small stuff, buy Apple stocks, and it’ll all work out.

Or you may be tempted to say nothing because mistakes and regrets shape us into who we are, and changing even something small could lead to irrevocable shifts you can’t predict.

For teen Elliott (Maisy Stella), what her 39-year-old self (Aubrey Plaza) tells her is to stay away from anyone named Chad, in My Old Ass, one of the best films of the year so far.

My Old Ass may have a sci-fi conceit at its core – Elliott conjures up her older self during a hallucinatory mushroom trip on her 18th birthday – but the movie is much more of a classic coming-of-age comedy-drama. It never explains the mechanics of how the two Elliotts can see each other and communicate, but it doesn’t need to.

The foundation of the story is Elliott’s growth journey over one summer, and how she reacts to the advice from her older self because, of course, the very next day, she meets a boy named Chad (Percy Hynes White).

The film, directed by Megan Park, is set in Canada and Elliott is on her family’s cranberry farm for the summer before the start of university. She’s on the cusp of brand new adventures away from the only world she’s known, and she can’t wait to get out of there.

She’s also just managed to finally hook up with this girl she’s had a crush on for years, but when the lovely and uncomplicated Chad turns up, and she immediately has raging chemistry with him, she also starts to question her sexuality.

It’s a special, liminal moment in any teenager’s life, and it’s a no-brainer that storytellers choose this span of time for its thematically rich possibilities.

For Elliott, it’s balancing what it means to have these weeks with her family in her childhood home, and being excited about what comes next. Like so many teens that age, there’s an impatience about “growing up” and not looking back, but the words of her older self ring in her ears and it slows her down.

My Old Ass is a tender and gentle story in the vein of Lady Bird and Boyhood but with the added perspective of a version of yourself that is approaching middle age. Plaza is not in the film for many scenes but she makes a huge impact when she does, especially her emotionally affecting moment towards the end.

What older Elliott learns from younger Elliott is just as valuable. It’s a proper exchange and it’s achingly beautiful.

There is an element of nostalgia to My Old Ass (Elliott’s family farm is idyllic and serene and Kristen Correll’s cinematography bathes everything in warn sunshine) but it never feels outdated or saccharine.

Stella is also winning as younger Elliott, a character that feels familiar and relatable while still a distinct creation.

My Old Ass punches with emotional force, but it does it with such subtlety you don’t even realise it’s drawn you into its world until you’re weeping.

Rating: 4.5/5

My Old Ass is in cinemas on September 26