Main Characters:
- Layne - Crispin Glover
- Matt - Keanu Reeves
- Clarissa - Ione Skye
- Samson 'John' Tollet
- Feck - Dennis Hopper
- Tim - Joshua John Miller
- Maggie - Roxana Zal
The basic plot revolves around the murder of high-school student Jamie by her her boyfriend John. After bragging about the murder to his friends, he offers to take them to the body that was left lying in the forest. After seeing the dead body, the kids react to the situation differently. Matt, Clarissa, and Maggie suffers an episode of internal conflict when he is trying to decide whether to go to the police or not. Maggie and Clarissa are about to call the police, but put down the phone as they were dialing in fear of being labeled as traitors. Matt finally works up the courage to report the murder to the police, but is questioned about why he took so long to report the murder. Layne is determined to prove his loyalty to John by trying to hide the body, and taking John to stay with Feck while the police are out looking for him. Feck, a modern day hermit, takes in John and shares his story about murdering his own girlfriend/lover/wife with him. After what seems like a bonding experience in the woods between Feck and John, Feck uses his own gun to shoot John in his sleep.
Personal Thoughts:
Throughout the film, the kids seem to show little emotion considering that they just saw their friend lying dead in front of them. Clarissa and Maggie speak briefly about how Jamie used to be their friend, but generally seem unmoved by the whole situation. I first thought of the movie as having little emotional value, but later came to realize that the emotionless and apathetic attitudes of the kids IS the emotional value of the movie. The kid's teacher seems to voice the thoughts of the audience when he is shouting at the students for having such little care for the situation. It angered me as well to see the kids being brought up in unhealthy environments (Matt fighting with his step-dad, and openly smoking weed in the house. Clarissa leaving her house in the middle of the night without much questioning from what sounds like her mother) The film captures a picturesque 80's suburbia with the kid's weed smoking, beer drinking vintage punk/metal style. There are also many references to the cold war and Russia.
Main Themes:
Loyalty:
- The issue of loyalty comes up many times, especially when Layne accuses his friends of being traitors. There is also an issue of sibling loyalty, when it seems as though Matt's brother choses to be on Layne's side rather than his own brother. This also comes up when Matt's brother points a gun at him towards the end of the movie, but eventually listens to his brother and hands over the gun.
- The kids in the movie have a shockingly apathetic attitude towards the whole situation, but begin to build some kind of emotion throughout the movie. The teacher (once again being the voice of the audiance) scolds the students for both their political and social apathy. The person who seems to care most about the situation is Layne, except he sympathizes with the murderer rather than the victim.
"Two dollars and money for gas. One of us should get a job, or... something." - Layne
"I feel like someone dipped me in used cooking oil" - Clarissa
"The only reason you stay here is so you can f**k my mother and eat her food. MOTHERF**KER. FOOD EATER." - Matt
Ask Yourself:
What would you have done in this situation?
How would you deal with these kids if you were the parents?
