Mean Creek

Sarah and I watched a cheery little movie last night called "Mean Creek." In it, a group of teen boys plot revenge on a school bully with a silly prank. Later things go terribly wrong and someone dies. It was a pretty good flick...nothing awe-inspiring to report. What I want to talk about is consequences.
Last year, the script we wrote for Summersalt has similar tones as "Mean Creek." In the script, several high school students want to make a mark on their home town before they leave for college. They plan a harmless prank but, as pranks go in these situations, it goes horribly wrong and someone dies. Now, here's where it gets interesting. We flashforward 10 years to see how the event has affected the lives of those teens in their grown-up years. The picture isn't pretty.
This is where I wish "Mean Creek" had gone. In the end, the kids do deal with the consequences but we never see how that affects their future. What we do today affects what we will do tomorrow and so on and so on and so on. I know you all know that. I'm just reminding myself. So..."Mean Creek" is a little indie film with a big message...if you so desire to look for it.