Revenge is anything but sweet in Mean Creek, a haunting morality tale from debut writer/director Jacob Aaron Estes. Deciding it's time that bully George (Josh Peck) received some payback, pint-sized punchbag Sam (Rory Culkin) and his brother Rocky (Trevor Morgan) lure the troublemaker on a boat trip designed to leave him stripped and stranded. But on the river things start to look a lot less black and white - and it's the shades of grey that make this much more than just another teen movie.
Superbly steered by Estes, example of everything that is good in American independent cinema. The boat journey is the heart of the movie, and it's clear something awful's going to happen. This film is beautifully conceived, and complemented by some of the best performances you are likely to see this year. All of them from a cast of actors under the age of 20.
