Gielen’s independently produced feature debut fits quite neatly into the animal comedy genre—what with its focus on teenagers singled-mindedly pursuing sex, booze, and mayhem—yet at the same time it doesn’t quite fit because Gielen has genuine affection for his characters and sees beyond their surface party ethos to the deeper spaces within. The film isn’t always successful in elucidating its basic tension between the characters’ animal desires and their more sensitive inner lives, but at least Gielen recognizes that teenagers are complex, frequently misunderstood beings. (DVD)