Rarely do teen-centered films present an intelligent, thought-provoking premise. Gross-out comedies tend to dominate the high school demographic, and thus, there is little substance to dwell on once the lights come back on in the theater. This fact makes the arrival of “Mean Creek” even more important, as it is a breath of fresh air. “Mean Creek,” the directorial debut of Jacob Aaron Estes, is a compelling, haunting film that maturely explores themes of vengeance, peer pressure, human fragility and responsibility.
The plot is not entirely original, as it draws from several other films, most notably “Deliverance” and “Stand By Me.” What it lacks in originality, however, it makes up for in effect. Few films this year have left as powerful an impression as “Mean Creek.”
The plot is broken into two parts. The first half is the set-up and the climax. Sam (Rory Culkin, “Igby Goes Down”) is being bullied by classmate George (Josh Peck, “Spun”). When Sam’s brother Rocky (Trevor Morgan, “The Patriot”) learns of this bullying, he and his friends, Marty (Scott Mechlowicz, “Eurotrip”) and Clyde (Ryan Kelley, “Stolen Summer”), devise a plan to get retribution. The plan involves a boat trip down an Oregon river and a game of truth or dare. Once on the river, though, things don’t go as planned, as personalities and ideas clash, and tragedy results. The second half of the film focuses on the aftermath and how the characters deal with the consequences.
The first half effectively builds suspense, as we await the impending disaster. Here Estes, who also wrote the screenplay, develops his characters, and we see how their personalities and moral compasses will clash later on. In the second half, however, the film really shines. The characters think. They talk with one another. They justify or condemn their actions. And they do this as one would expect real teenagers to do. This sense of realism is a critically important aspect of the film and one that aids in its success. Estes deserves recognition for his ability to write teens as they really act and speak.
While the writing is impressive, it is the acting that brings these characters to life. The filmmakers wisely chose a young, relatively unknown group of actors for the film. The cast is more than up to the task. Everyone’s work is solid.
“Mean Creek” has a naturalistic appearance. The cinematography is all handheld and filled with earth tones. This enhances the realism and the somber tone of the film. The one problem with the cinematography is that Estes likes to have some of the action play out as if recorded on George’s personal digital camcorder. This may have worked if it had a different feel from the rest of the camerawork, but it doesn’t. Thus, the technique seems somewhat unnecessary.
Fortunately, this doesn’t diminish the overall power of the movie. “Mean Creek” works on two levels. On one, it functions as a story about a group of teens who make a bad decision. On another level, it acts as a microcosm for the passage from adolescence to adulthood. At the beginning of the story, the teens are (more or less) innocent, but by the conclusion, their eyes have been opened to the harsh realities of the world.
“Mean Creek” proves Estes has a lot of potential to develop into a major filmmaking talent. Most worthy of note is his script, which reveals an intimate understanding of the teenage mind. In fact, Estes’ writing is quite reminiscent of that of writer/director David Gordon Green (“George Washington”; “All the Real Girls”), and that is a very good thing.
Grade: A