Beneath the surface, everyone has a secret.
Set in a small Oregon town where secrets are hard to keep and lies even harder, Mean Creek flows with a simple elegance of truth and consequences as it follows a crisis in the lives of its teen characters, keenly directed by first-timer Jacob Aaron Estes.
The journey within begins as a plot for playful payback on a local troublemaker; the journey on-screen begins with a river, as a rag-tag group of troubled-and-not teenagers set out on a boat trip to celebrate the birthday of their youngest member. As a sort of boyish Heart of darkness trip develops, cracks in the crew form when some of the teens have second thoughts about what they are about to do.
Mean Creek is an allegorical tale that probes the moral dilemmas we all face. Ultimately, it is the story about the balance between friendship and responsibility.
Special Agent Matti
Mean Creek is about bullies, revenge and guilt. As it turns out, everyone is a bully, everyone wants revenge and everyone is guilty. That seems to be the consensus among filmmakers in the United States of America.
I've said before (and I'll say it again), when I was at school no-one ever stole anyone else's lunch or lunch money, no-one was beaten up, no-one got wedgies (unless they were your mate, then you had to give them wedgies). I realise that bullying is a problem but there's nothing that a good conversation with the wooden spoon won't fix. I am all in favour of corporal punishment in the form of a leg smack or a bum whack. I am not in favour of anything which draws blood, leaves bruises, breaks bones, shakes babies or targets anything other than the aforementioned body parts. Just so you know. Many of society's woes stem from bad parents having children willy-nilly: unplanned, unrestrained, undesired.
Meanwhile, all the actors are good, good, good. Without mentioning one of the leads over all the others [Yes, you are! - Director of Intelligence.] I have to say that Scott Mechlowicz rocks. He's now officially in that Dark-haired Bad Boy Cute Club that also includes Hayden Christensen and James Franco. That's different from that Dark-haired Nice Boy Cute Club that includes Tobey Maguire and Topher Grace.
Mean Creek is a good look at bullying and revenge-gone-wrong, one which teaches you the lesson that bullies are losers (which makes you an even bigger loser for being beaten up by one) and that revenge is a dish best served cold (which is why schools have reunions). A good resource for teachers and parents all over.
MA 15+ (Medium level coarse language, adult themes)
89 minutes (1:29 hours)
Film: 4 August 2005
DVD rental: 8 December 2005
VHS rental: 8 December 2005
