By LIZ MARCUS
Special to the Leader

Before I begin my recommendation of the film “Across the Universe,” I should point out that it is for a mature high school audience. That said, I adore this movie. It is an incredibly accurate depiction of America in the 1970s.

Starring Evan Rachel Wood and Jim Sturgess, it follows the lives of a group of teens/young adults growing up in the midst of the confusion and hatred of war, civil rights violence and drugs. The story is told with the help of songs by the Beatles, which are redone very well.

Wood plays Lucy Carrigan, who awaits her boyfriend’s homecoming from the Vietnam War. Sturgess is a Brit named Jude who becomes friends with Lucy’s brother. A whirlwind of tragic and crazy events eventually brings them all together in a New York apartment. The landlord is a singer (imitation Janice Joplin) trying to land a record deal.

I can’t say much more without giving anything away or saying, “All you need is love,” but I highly recommend you see this film. Every audience I know who has seen it would certainly agree.

Liz Marcus is a junior at New Century Charter School.