If there is anything on Netflix weirder than a musical battle between emos and Christians, I’ve yet to watch it. The film centers around Ethan, a troubled and lonely teenager who was expelled from his last school for attempting to commit suicide. His affinity for the emo look and mindset was not well-received at his former school so, when he transfers to a new school, he doesn’t expect anyone there to like it either. Fortunately for him, there are actually a lot of emo kids and he eventually joins a band that is emo as hell. Unfortunately, he also meets a kind girl named Trinity and, though they get along, she is a part of the strongly religious clique of their school who abhor the Emo clique, which makes their relationship especially difficult. She also happens to be part of the Christian band that will be competing against Ethan’s at a rock competition. If you’re thinking how is this a movie? while reading this, you know how I felt when I clicked play.

Honestly, trying to describe this plot brought me a lot of second-hand embarrassment. Its songs are extremely out-there, from Jesus Would Have Been an Emo to Come to Church with Me; its uniqueness and range can either be endearing or downright strange. There are so many themes and plotlines to tie together that it can feel like one big mess that seems impossible to neatly finish. When I first saw what the film was about, I absolutely expected to hate it, but I chose to watch it out of a lack of other choices and mild curiosity and it ended up surprising me.

Though it certainly is different from other teenage films, I really liked how it tried to tackle different issues that many teenagers deal with: wanting to fit in, religion, trying to be yourself, and there are even plotlines about sexuality and teen pregnancy (though whether it succeeds in helping kids deal with questioning their sexuality or dealing with pregnancy is a moot point). The songs are indeed odd, but they can be catchy if you’re not too picky. All in all, this movie isn’t exactly Oscar-worthy, but if you’re not too much of a movie slob and enjoy watching teen films about romance or self-acceptance, I recommend checking it out. Also, it’s Australian so if accents are a selling point for anyone, there you go.