The film follows 16-year-old Austyn Tester, a rising star in the live-broadcast ecosystem who built his following on wide-eyed optimism and teen girl lust, as he tries to escape a dead-end life in rural Tennessee.
When I was growing up in the ’80s social media didn’t exist. I had real friends that I played with after school and conversations on an actual phone with others I personally knew. There were attainable goals, people looked like people, not cartoons and not many had a life’s mission to become famous, they just wanted a decent place to live and good health. I was taught to get a good education and work hard to become successful in life. I was inspired by my parents and teachers who enforced positivity, but in this day and age, the youth spend most of their time on their computers addicted to following the lives of those they’ve never met. It’s sad that they’re persuaded to buy into unrealistic lifestyles, by these famous social media influencers who many have no formal education, talent or skills are their main idols.
Austyn Tester, a 16-year-old from Tennessee, is no different than any other Millennial who receives the majority of his information, inspiration, and validation through social media. He truly believes that he one day, by becoming famous, will change the world. He began gaining his following on social media through broadcasting on YouNow. Feeling like he was stuck and would never make anything of his life, his dream to be famous became his main life purpose. Not having a father figure or positive adult mentor to guide him to other means of becoming successful, Austyn looked to famous YouTubers as inspiration of how he wanted his life to be. Through binge-watching other channels, he learned how to grow his fan base and earn money through posting daily and coordinating meet and greets with the fans to stay relevant.
After a developer discovered Austyn on broadcast, he invited him to go on tour with a few other famous teen influencers. Austyn got a taste of what it’s like to have tons of fans yell his name just to get a hug and selfie from him. He also saw how much work it takes to be in the spotlight and stay, but when he returned from the tour he just couldn’t stay motivated and began posting less content. Austyn also faced difficulties with management being ripped off and never seeing a dime of the money promised. He then became depressed watching his following drop and his dreams slowly slip through his fingers. The ending of the film turns out exactly as you probably guessed, he ends up back in his home town on a yellow school bus trying to finish high school, which he nearly failed, and gets a job at a clothing store. Feeling ashamed and embarrassed, Austyn tries to figure out what to do with his life next but still feels a deep knowing that he will become famous. “Jawline” is a great film about how difficult it actually is to become a social media star but also a lesson in how great it pays off to have a real education and backup plan.
In Theaters Friday, August 23rd
