'Their Town' review: Katie Aselton and Mark Duplass create a glorious hangout movie for theater kids

Theater kids can get a bad wrap for being too much and generally annoying. But speaking as a theater kid, a lot of that energy comes from an urgent desire to be known — not just seen but truly known. Mark Duplass and Katie Aselton understand that yearning and channel that earnestness and openness into the teen drama Their Town. Pulling inspiration from Richard Linklater's Before trilogy, Duplass scripts a deceptively simple story about two high schoolers who connect one long night after play rehearsal. Aselton directs, weaving the story across a small Maine town, turning everyday locations into sacred spaces of sharing. And in the lead roles, this husband-and-wife team chose one established young actor, IT's Chosen Jacobs, and one newcomer, their daughter, Ora Duplass. Together, they create a hangout movie that is patient, poignant, and powerful. Beginning at play rehearsal after school, Their Town swiftly establishes Abby (Duplass) and Matt (Jacobs) through their positions on stage. She is the lead, opposite her moody boyfriend Tyler (William Atticus Parker). But when he abruptly bails on the production, Abby looks to the wings for a possible substitute, and spots shy Matt (Jacobs