Film Reviews

Mean Creek

• Rating:
• Director: Jacob Aaron Estes.
• Starring: Rory Culkin, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, Carly Schroeder.
• Details: US / 87 mins (15s).

George (Peck) is a high school bully who beats up on Sam (Culkin) once too often. So Sam's older brother Rocky (Morgan) invites George along on a boating trip upriver, but the planned humiliation takes a fatal twist when George discovers the truth. Southern Comfort by way of Stand By Me, Estes's writing and directing debut is a moral thriller that poses Big Questions of its characters. Most of the young and unknown cast respond well, with Culkin, Morgan and Mechlowicz offering strong support to Peck's difficult role. Beautifully shot by Sharon Meir, the cinematography also includes uncredited work by Peck; young George carries a digicam with him wherever he goes, and his grainy, shaky hand-held shots inject a coarse realism that is hugely effective in undercutting the idyllic scenario. The digicam shots also provide a hauntingly poignant denouement, although the script's meandering structure means that too much time is devoted to establishing character and mood, leaving too little time to examine the consequences of the teens' actions. Nevertheless, Mean Creek is an absorbing and promising debut from Estes.

Review by Garreth Murphy