PAPER TOWNS

US, 2015, 109 minutes, Colour.
Nat Wolff, Cara Delevingne, Austin Abrams, Justice Smith, Halston Sage, Jaz Sinclair, Cara Buono.
Directed by Jake Schreier.


This will not be an easy film for adults to sit through. It is very much a niche film, targeting teenagers, possibly some older young adults, but very much the audience which could identify with the central characters, in their last months at high school.

The film is based on a novel by John Green, novelist for young adults, who had great success with the film adaptation of his The Fault in our Stars. This one is even more teen-focused.

The setting is Florida and the central character, Quentin (Nat Wolff who has done this kind of role in Palo Alto and Behaving Badly), Q to his friends, provides voice-over, telling us about himself and his lifelong devotion to, infatuation with, eventually love for, his neighbour Margo (British model, Carla Delevingne). She is a strong-minded little girl, easily able to exercise her influence over Q and his willing submission to her.

The first part of the film shows Margo in mean-minded form, now having moved away from Q, infatuated with one of the jocks at school, relying on the popular kids for her friendship. Then she thinks they have betrayed her. On a whim, she summons Q to help her get some vengeance, ringing up the parents of her girlfriend who is having sex with her former boyfriend and watching the confusion, lifting the eyebrow from another associate while he sleeps… Q is completely manipulated by Margo and her whims but finds the whole experience exhilarating.

Q also has two friends from school, who hang out together, discuss everything, Ben and Radar.

When Margo disappears from her disapproving parents, Q decides he knows where she has gone because, after the whims, they have gone to a tall building and looked out over the city with Margo talking about paper towns, towns that exist but with no one in them. And she will make the analogy with paper people and herself.

The rest of the film is a road trip, Q taking his mother’s car, following Margo’s clues to New York State, Ben and Radar coming along as well as their girlfriends. There are a couple of adventures on the road, skidding after almost hitting a cow, Radar and his girlfriend having a sexual encounter to the eager curiosity of the others.

So, will Q find Margo? Had she gone to a paper town? If he finds her, what will he say about his love for her? And what about the Prom that the other friends want to go to but in which Q shows no interest?

Teen audiences may well want to see how these questions are answered – parents and adults may prefer to ask the teens afterwards what happened.


1. The title, the explanations, the towns, the maps, paper people?

2. A young adult story, the work of the author? For a teen audience? High schoolers? Coming-of-age film?

3. The Florida settings, the towns, homes, streets, the school, dances, the youngsters hanging out? On the road, New York State, the barn, the small town? A piece of Americana?

4. The characters and their perspectives, the final year at high school? The attitudes of their parents – not appearing much during the film, Margot’s parents critical, Quentin’s mother supportive? A general absence of adults from the story?

5. The focus, the teens, their world, finishing school, a somewhat enclosed life, touches of rebellion and dependence, relationships, love, sexuality? Attitudes to parents?

6. Quentin, his age, voice tone, the voice-over? His memories, confiding the stories about Margo, their being together as children, sharing, Margo and her strength, Quentin as a follower? The visualising of the memories? The changes as they grew up, drifting away from each other? Margo and interest in other boys? Quentin, relying on his friends, deceiving himself about his feelings for Margo?

7. Margo, coming to Quentin at night, the invitation to go out, her whims, her jealousies, getting petty vengeance on her friends because of their betrayal? Quentin and his reluctance? Margo manipulating him? Taking his mother’s car? The vengeance – the phone call to the girl’s parents indicating she was having sex in the basement, the boy leaping at the window naked, running away, his car being trashed? Going to the house the friend, taking his eyebrow off? His anger? Going to the building and the guard letting them in? Looking over the city and the lights? Talking of paper towns? The return home, the effect on Margo, the effect on Quentin, being daring?

8. Margo, discussions with her parents, her disappearing? Always leaving clues? Quentin and his response, his mother’s response?

9. Quentin and his friends, the characters, talking, Ben and the comic touches, Radar, his girlfriend? The prominence of the Prom, Radar wanting to go, Quentin not interested? The interactions between the three?

10. Quentin, his decision to find Margo, the map with the holes, the idea of the paper towns, the research, the decision about the town in New York State? His taking his mother’s car? Inviting his friends to go with him? Ben and his fondness for the girl, her being strong-minded, the promise to go to the Prom, her decision to go? Radar, going to his girlfriend, she thinking he was breaking off, his explanations, her decision to go?

11. Travelling the roads, Radar keeping the time, wanting to return for the Prom, Ben and his needing to go to the toilet, the cans? Going to the store, hurrying, buying everything? The sharing between the friends? The cow on the road, Ben taking the wheel, the skidding? Having to stay the night? Radar and his girlfriend on the rug, talking, sex? Talking about it the next morning? The repair man coming? Quentin phoning home?

12. The arrival of the town, finding the barn, Quentin’s being sure? The empty barn? The others wanting to get back, taking the car? Quentin, getting the lift, arriving in town, buying the bus ticket, seeing Margo? Following her, the puzzle about his presence? Their spending the time together, discussions, Margo trying to sort herself out, no plans? Quentin declaring his love? His going back by bus?

13. The Prom, Quentin changing his mind, dressing up, his mother helping? Going to the dance, the two couples, the dancing, his joining in?

14. The theme of the last months at school, the separation of friends, futures in different places? Quentin reflecting on the sightings of Margo and the different possibilities?

15. Effect of this experience on Quentin and helping him to grow up?