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Four young friends combine forces against the bullies of their town. Rudy (Conor Donovan) is the fearless leader when it comes to defending their honor and their clubhouse; Jacob (Conor Donovan) is his shy twin; Malee (Zoe Weizenbaum) is in need of a father-figure since hers took off; and Leonard (Jesse Camacho) struggles with his weight in a family where life revolves around carbs.
It’s tough enough growing up, but then a tragedy occurs that ends in Rudy’s
death and the aftermath shocks everyone. The kids have to develop their
own ways to cope with their grief and their anger. Jacob plans revenge,
Leonard has an epiphany about his weight issue and decides to do something
about it, and Malee seeks out the company of an older man, Gus (Jeremy
Renner), for comfort and more.
The parents aren’t dealing with the problems any better than their kids. Jacob’s parents (Linus Roache, Jayne Atkinson) are as lost as he is and his mom’s need to punish someone further drives Jacob’s actions. Malee’s mother (Annabella Sciorra) is a psychologist, but she doesn’t see the frustration in her blossoming daughter or the fact that she’s discovering her sexuality. Leonard’s folks (Marcia DeBonis, Tom McGowan) don’t think they have any food issues and instead of supporting him in his quest for better health, they go out of their way to make things more difficult for him.
This isn’t an easy film to watch – the angst level runs at full tilt. As bad as things are, they could be worse - terrible things happen with enough frequency that after awhile you start anticipating, expecting the worst, waiting for the next bombshell to drop. The one thing that this dysfunctional group will do is make you appreciate the fact that you not in there suffering with them.
The drama of the situation is intense enough that it easily could become too much, but the kids don’t resort to overacting to show their emotions. They are all very natural – which says something for the casting and for director Michael Cuesta’s ability to bring out terrific performances from these young actors (he did that with his first film L.I.E. as well). You believe that they’re friends and you believe their problems are real, the threats are plausible, which makes you feel all the more for them and their young fragile lives.
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