A Better Place
reviewed by Erin Hucke
Written and directed by Vincent Pereira. Synapse films; available on DVD/Video.
Teen dramas -- just the phrase makes you giggle at the frivolity or
shudder at the ... frivolity. Either reaction usually isn't expressed with
respect or goodwill. A Better Place is a "teen drama" but not in
the sense we've come to know and roll our eyes at. This isn't John
Hughes or She's All That.
A Better Place is the story of Barret (Robert DiPatri) who moves
to a new town his senior year of high school after his father dies
unexpectedly. Barret is quick to learn his new location isn't the most
hospitable place to call home after he is harassed and almost beaten up on
the first day of school. Barret is spared from a brawl when Ryan (Eion
Bailey), a loner, works out his aggression against Barret's attacker.
Barret and Ryan become friends, an ironic situation considering the
school's highest-ranking anti-soc is the only person who will be nice to
the new kid.
The teens aren't mischievous or crude; they're not practical jokers or
hoodlums, as depicted in so many movies and tv shows. It's not that
they're older or more intelligent than your average high-schoolers, but
there's definitely something that separates them from the mainstream
teenage crowd. These kids live with adult responsibilities, filling in for
absentee parents, giving them a more mature perspective.
It's the kind of maturity that allows you to appreciate the beauty of
the natural world and realize it would be better without all the people
screwing it up.
It's also the realization that those who think they can eliminate the
people to make the world a better place are crazy. That's where Barret
surpasses Ryan. After much hardship throughout his life, Ryan is
convinced the world would be a better place without people destroying things
and doesn't cower at the thought of taking measures into his own hands
to better the situation.
Ryan was raised to believe in his destiny to repeat the horrific
actions of his deceased father. While he tries desperately to un-convince
himself of this idea with philosophical readings, after time, he has
resolved there is no point. He is doomed. And from an outsider's view, it's
plausible that he's right.
Issue 7, October 2001 | next article
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