 high school. For some, it's the very best of times, and for others, the very worst of times. There's classwork, bullies, your first crush, people you can't stand, parties, parents, and on top of all this, two best friends are about to experience a sudden death, a desperate veil of secrecy, and endless bouts of paranoia, making both of them feel like they're living in super dark times. Kevin Phillips' 2017 psychological thriller that features gorgeously photographed atmosphere, explores suburban teenage violence, and is awash with indie, movie-making style. Set in upstate New York during the mid-90s, the story follows Zack, played by Owen Campbell, and Josh, played by Charlie Tehan, who, after crossing paths with the socially obnoxious Daryl and his younger friend Charlie, experience a tragic event that will change their lives forever, leading them to become implicated in a cover-up which in turn will create a growing rift between them both. A rift that will become a chasm when a mutual love interest, Allison, played by Elizabeth Cappuccino, begins to date Zack at the worst possible time. Taking inspiration from coming-of-age dramas such as Stand By Me and the Twisted Suburbs of Donny Darko, the story's concoction of familiar settings and genre beats mixed in with thematic exploration of adolescent violence creates a sinister, gloomy world for the characters to inhabit. With cinematically recognisable backdrops of high school corridors, quiet streets and childhood bedrooms being captured by a distant, in fact chilling, lens that sometimes outshines the story simply by its oppressive power. A bleak, wintry landscape with grim, deciduous nature decaying all around and washed of any colour or warmth. Zack attacks as the perfect visually claustrophobic prison for Zack to suffer in as he attempts to keep up appearances, with each scene after the shocking event being laced with a bitter tension thanks to the vulnerable performance from Campbell. A young man trying to make sense of his trauma was suddenly finding himself dating the girl of his dreams. When you combine the script, penned by Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski with Eli Braun's beautifully spooky cinematography and the editing style by Ed Yonaitis of Quick Cuts and Hyperkinetic Pacing, all masterfully directed by Philips, the end result is a creepy at times frightening coming of age drama that will make you truly grateful for your own rights of passage being, hopefully, far less gruesome. But with violence seemingly so endemic in the real world today, you may also feel Zack and Josh's story is actually not much of a stretch, a conclusion that quietly condemns our society from the shadows in indistinguishable neighbourhoods everywhere whilst we pretend everything is fine in these super dark times.