With school shootings an abominable feature of life in America, this can be a hard film to watch due to its ticking time bomb story of two middle-school outcasts whose profound desperation leads to plans of retaliation against the clique-filled school of bullies who victimize the pair every day. Yet the possibility of revenge killing isn’t necessarily the point of director Vincent Grashaw’s drama, which is based on Jim Shepard’s 2004 novel Project X. Edwin (Arman Darbo) is a diminutive eighth-grader whose anxiety over classwork and social isolation is escalating. His best friend, Flake (Sawyer Barth), is in the same boat but is more aggressive in his retaliation—brief moments of victory that regularly earn him a beating from peers. Edwin receives no meaningful support at home from his parents (Melanie Lynskey, Justin Long), which leaves him all the more alone and confused. When Flake comes up with a horrifying plan and enlists a dubious Edwin, the question of how far the latter will truly go builds suspense. Grashaw brings energy and dark humor to the story, especially in scenes where the two leads end up in their school principal’s office or in detention. And Darbo and Barth are compelling as the tormented kids winding up to some kind of life-changing action. Recommended. (T. Keogh)
And Then I Go
Passion River, 99 min., not rated, DVD: $24.95 Volume 33, Issue 4
And Then I Go
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
Order From Your Favorite Distributor Today: