Review: Mean Creek
This could be seen as a break-out indie hit for newcoming writer/director Jacob Aaron Estes, who puts together an ensemble cast movie. It works very well, much in the same way Stand By Me worked well, but with darker tones and deeper subtleties. Being both writer and director, he has greater control over the better worked out characters, while he highlights facets of his script with seemingly effortless simplicity. He does this in a very minimalistic sense, with a tight budget, mostly close up shots, and even the music takes a backseat, which actually enhances the drama.
The superb cast is a tool used to the maximum capabilities, and after the movie, there are still quite some things to mull over, as any good movie usually does.8-.