Summary
An underprivileged teenager bonds with his young cousin while facing off against a vicious bully.
An underprivileged teenager bonds with his young cousin while facing off against a vicious bully.
American coming-of-age pictures are still poignant and perceptive, but they are nowhere near as sentimental as they were in their 1980s heyday. The anti-hero in Felix Thompson's debut feature may be an outsider - bullied by his older brother for having been their absent father's favourite - but there's nothing nerdy about 15-year-old Jack (Charlie Plummer), who is first seen spraying offensive graffiti on the home of the class bully. He also gives younger visiting cousin Ben (Cory Nichols) a hard time until he gets to know him better. However, Jack still has much to learn about relationships, preferring mean girl Robyn (Scarlet Lizbeth) to more modest Harriet (Yainis Ynoa) and struggles to reconnect with Ben after a cowardly act of treachery. Sunnily photographed in the workaday Hudson Valley suburbs by Brandon Roots, this may stick close to convention, but it also offers an authentic insight into the quotidian adolescent experience. Plummer leads an admirably natural cast with an affecting blend of swagger and vulnerability that recalls a young River Phoenix.
role | name |
---|---|
Jack | Charlie Plummer |
Ben | Cory Nichols |
Tom | Christian Madsen |
Shane | Danny Flaherty |
Karen | Erin Davie |
Harriet | Yainis Ynoa |
Robyn | Scarlet Lizbeth |
Holly | Chloe Levine |
Beavan | Melvin Mogoli |
Malcolm | Richardson Elijah |
Ray | Meeko Gattuso |
role | name |
---|---|
Director | Felix Thompson |