Estes' dark sunlit tale cuts like a knife.
Mean Creek
Beneath the surface, everyone has a secret.
2004 · 1h 30m · R
Crime, Drama
Directed by
Jacob Aaron Estes
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Mean Creek
Overview
Teenagers living in small-town Oregon take a boat trip for a birthday celebration. When they get an idea to play a mean trick on the town bully, it suddenly goes too far. Soon they're forced to deal with the unexpected consequences of their actions.
Director and cast
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes
Top critics, in their words
A low-key, low-budget thriller that reminds us just how cruel young people can be.
Although it is a flawed film, with a first half that moves slowly and sometimes tediously, it is redeemed by a second half that is gripping, not only for its action but for its moral complexity.
Estes has accomplished quite a bit here. In addition to providing a textbook example of suspense, he also makes us want to know what happens to these kids after the screen goes dark.
You could call Mean Creek a moral thriller. And the emotional currents the movie wades into are far more tricky than the gentle surface the kids' boat floats along.
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