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Michael Cuesta's first feature since 2001's striking debut "L.I.E." is quite different in tone and style, but sports considerable overlap. Again, Cuesta's pic deals in sometimes queasy areas of underage sexuality and emotional extremes; again, deftness and confidence ultimately put across a screenplay (this time by Anthony S. Cipriano) overloaded with sensational incident. Less-obvious controversy and marketing points will make this harder to place commercially, though it certainly deserves the kind of modest theatrical exposure given such other intelligent recent Amerindie studies of childhood as "Mean Creek" and "Mysterious Skin." While the cause of his skittishness isn't evident right away -- the hockey mask he's just gotten as a gift hides a birthmark covering half his face -- it's immediately clear 12-year-old Jacob Carges has a completely different personality than his athletic, outgoing twin Rudy (Conor Donovan, playing both roles). Rudy is the ringleader of a quartet of classmates that hangs out in woods behind their suburban neighborhood, one that also includes precocious Malee (Zoe Weizenbaum) and tubby, insecure Leonard (Jesse Camacho). When the Carges boys dump a bucketful of urine on the local bully-brothers, latter toughs swear they'll return that night to destroy the foursome's tree house. But when the time comes, Jacob shrinks from joining Rudy and Leonard as they sneak out to guard the fort. The bad boys arrive on schedule, unaware their foes are asleep in the tree structure, which they torch. Leonard tumbles to safety, but Rudy is killed, throwing his family, friends and whole community into grieving disbelief. This occurs just as the kids are entering adolescence, further complicating an already bewildering period in their lives. Jacob is haunted by guilt, frustrated by his parents' falling apart (Rudy was the clear favorite), and perversely driven to visit the guilty boys in juvenile lockup. These trips, at first motivated by hatred, develop into a friendship of sorts with one of the boys. Meanwhile, Malee and Leonard are also dealing with their own -- frequently seriocomic --issues, which include grief, growth and family. Cuesta and Cipriano juggle a lot of narrative and tonal elements; the movie sometimes grows precarious from the weight of too many crises and hairpin turns from comedy to drama. But both script and direction are ultimately up to the task, trumping occasional improbability with sharp observation. An overall edge of hyper reality -- akin to Todd Solondz's, if less cruel -- lends the pic enough authorial distance to let its more over-the-top incidents be taken at less than full face value. This is especially helpful at the end, when a second killing occurs that might overwhelm a less intricately balanced film. Young leads are terrific, adults in support roles of variable screentime equally strong. Tech and design elements are spot-on, making the best of a tight budget. |
