Not Fade Away

The feature-film debut from David Chase, creator of “The Sopranos,” is a uniquely unsentimental, open-ended coming-of-age story set in the counterculture explosion of midcentury America. In 1960s New Jersey, teenager Doug Damiano (John Magaro), inspired by the English invasion of bands like the Rolling Stones and the Beatles, drops out of college to pursue his musical dreams by starting his own rock ’n’ roll band. As his ambitions clash with reality and tensions rise with both his bandmates and his disapproving father (James Gandolfini), what emerges is a complicated, bittersweet reflection on generational sea change and the formation of identity, all set to a perfect period soundtrack featuring greats ranging from Bo Diddley to Bob Dylan. NOT FADE AWAY is presented here in its black-and-white version, streaming exclusively on the Criterion Channel.