RileyOnFilm Some movies remind me of the dark place that exists in us. Either that or the dangerous claws of innocence that rip our precious loves to ribbons. This one's like that.Billy Joel said a woman will "carelessly cut you and laugh while you're bleeding" but it's not just a woman, men and women alike kill, cover it up, even live with it all their lives sometimes. When we see it in film, we cringe but the prisons and homes of America are probably full of killers we never find out about. Ultimately it's the choices we make to act or react to anger in vengeance and so forth. Characters who react well, sometimes end up well. Sometimes those who don't, end up well also. It's messed up right? Well that's life and you're in it. This movie reminds you of that.A bully, his friend, a young girl, his accomplices. They all have choices to make. I like this film because it deals with perception and perspective. When seen through the bullies eyes, we see him a victim. When seen through the young girl's eyes, the victims are chosen based on convention and maybe, just plain old good raising? I can't say here and now. What do you think of this film? This is one you have to take a stand on. Bullying is exploding across our world. How you teach your kids to respond to it is crucial. This film may help open that conversation. It's an excellent film but I would have liked to have seen a little more character development of all the kids. Maybe that's just because I like to get inside characters in films with heavy concepts like bullying. I still recommend it highly as is.This is a very dark film and I think real life is dark so it's realistic. If you've seen it, what do you think of it? The questions lays before you, inescapably. If you haven't seen it, take some time and watch this small town simple film that just might blow your mind about innocence, bullying, and where the two shall meet.

Steve Pulaski Children and adolescents can sometimes be hopelessly cruel. That much we know. It seems that with the creation of the internet and social media the actions of children and adolescents seem to have gotten worse. That much we also know. But even the most devious children are not robbed of a tight, moral core which recognizes when something is wrong because of their actions. It's true, however, that some children possess nihilistic tendencies, but many children do indeed have a core that allows them to sympathize and recognize when they are in danger or at fault.Jacob Aaron Estes' Mean Creek is a beautiful little tone-poem of a film, exploring the aforementioned concept with piercing reality and humanism. Through a band of tremendous character actors, ranging from ages ten and elven to seventeen and eighteen, Estes creates an intimate portrayal of coping with a tragedy when the blame is partially on you. This would be a difficult thing for an adult to stomach. For young adolescents, it's absolutely merciful on the mind and wellbeing.The film opens with a young Sam (Rory Culkin) being beaten, harassed, and viciously assaulted by George (Josh Peck), a chubby dyslexic kid with no real friends. Despite his easy-going and often forgiving nature, Sam holds onto this beating and goes along with the plans of his older brother Rocky (Trevor Morgan) and his friends Clyde (Ryan Kelley) and Marty (Scott Mechlowicz) of getting George back by taking him out to the middle of a lake on a boat, initiating a game of truth or dare to get him to strip, and having him jump into the water and leaving him stranded.Sam takes his young girl friend Millie (Carly Schroeder) along. A cute little blonde, she immediately doesn't approve of what him and his gang of buddies are doing. Even when Sam attempts to call off the plan, as George seems like a well-meaning, if troubled and uneven soul, the plan remains on as directed by the ringleader Marty, who eggs George on to the point where he exhibits the reflexes typical of a powerless and scared individual. He resorts to obscenities and vulgarity as a means of combating the brutal words being thrown his way and, as expected, it all ends tragically.George winds up being accidentally pushed off the boat and drowning in the water. CPR and attempts to get the young kid to breath doesn't help either; George is now dead and the figurative blood is on the hands of the five kids involved. This is where Estes could've copped out and made a film that lead to basic moralizing and cheap, forgettable sentiment. Instead, Estes persist through deeply disturbing material and shows just how ugly, senseless, and troubling murder is. He shows the impact it has on these adolescents and how they try and cope with the horrific action they've just committed. It's a tough subject and Estes doesn't sugarcoat it. Just like Larry Clark did with his exceptional film Bully, Estes devotes the last half-hour or so to how the characters deal with their actions, and avoids simplistic moralizing and easy ways out. He brought this material to light and doesn't take it back at all.Moreover, the entire cast of young kids are terrific here, with specific highlights being Rory Culkin, who is given the difficult but rewarding role of playing the youngest kid. Culkin's Sam character needs to be aware of his actions but also has to have great difficulty portraying his feelings. His blank, expressionless face often penetrates the psyche of the viewer. The other particularly strong role is that of Josh Peck, who was working on Drake & Josh at this same time. Peck has another challenging role in the regard his action need to be incorrigible but his underlying personality needs to be easy to see and have the ability to second guess the decision to humiliate them. Peck's performance is surprisingly tender, especially during a vulgar key-scene on the boat.Through the lens of low-budget filmmaking, Estes makes a completely immersing and exciting picture that works because of its depiction of murder, its meditative atmosphere, its gaggle of great character actors, and its intimate focus on the adolescents involved in this issue (we pleasantly do not have to suffer through scenes with adult characters who "don't understand." Mean Creek is an often terrifying picture but it need be seen by everyone.Starring: Rory Culkin, Ryan Kelley, Scott Mechlowicz, Trevor Morgan, Josh Peck, Carly Schroeder. Directed by: Jacob Aaron Estes.

zozo1997 First off, I found this film to be brilliant. I watched this today in my A level film studies class and I was nearly in tears.The colour and camera types/ shots remind me of 'Napolenon Dinamite' because everything is shot on location and there are no special effects used. I feel that this doesn't distract me from the overall film. There aren't any over the top colours, which would also distract from the film.I thought that with Josh Peck, his character would be quite meek and sweet- which is what we got, but we also got his nasty character which made him lovable and dislikeable at the same time. His character has an obvious mental problem(maybe a case of autism?), and Peck has created this character with the two sides which would be present in someone with a mental disorder. This film was very heavy. By that I mean that this film made me think a whole lot. Anything like this could happen to anyone- they could accidentally kill a friend- which makes it a relatible and believable film to watch. If I weren't already doing a different film for my film studies analysis essay, I would choose to analyse this film because it's amazing- simple yet complex.

gpeelaaron George's character was really unbelievable and annoying. At the end when he dies you don't feel bad for him at all. The character of Sam and his girlfriend do a decent job, but everyone else struggles with the dramatic scenery(ESPECIALLY CLYDE). the major problem with the flick is the situations. The kids take it too far with the cussing and sexual orientation. There's one scene where they are playing truth or dare, and Marty is dared to show them his penis, and George makes a crack about Sam and his girlfriends all bothered in bed. To inappropriate seriously. The way George talked sickened me. He also called the girl a C***. Too far.