Mean Creek

Jacob Aaron Estes 2004

A group of young friends decides to take revenge on a school bully; however, their plan takes a sinister turn for the worse and a tragedy occurs.

This a startling debut from Estes and he has managed to draw to together an incredibly impressive cast of young actors. “Mean Creek” is about issues greater than just bullying in school but rather about a power hierarchy that occurs in society at large. It shows how everyone has a desire to exert power over those around them and how we all need to feel superior.

Rory Culkin is the thoughtful victim who shows great wisdom beyond his age realising that “if we hurt him, we'd be just as bad as him” but unfortunately gets caught up in the plans of the others. Josh Peck is amazing as the bully who we begin to see is human and just as flawed as the rest of the children and just as eager to assert himself over the others and seek weakness.

Despite the harrowing storyline, this is a beautifully shot film. Estes takes great delight in showing that nature is the only innocent force left in the film. This was at times a difficult film to watch, you can almost see the innocence slipping away from these children. More accessible than something like “Bully” this is a film for everyone.