After a spell With Six Feet Under, Michael Cuesta returns to the subject of his 2001 debut, L.I.E. — the darker side of the wonder years. Here, the three leads are young, but the director has no qualms in having them play out unnerving situations; looking down the wrong end of a handgun or leaving the gas on are fair game as the trio find their way through an awkward age.
Dividing the narrative three ways increases the action and keeps things moving, but the end result is less believable than if we’d followed one in greater detail. The shaky camerawork irritates, but get past that and you’ll find genuinely touching scenes, and some real discoveries in the kids.