Cracks (2009)

Cracks stumbles down the stretch, when the melodrama finally washes in and the behavior becomes more extreme.

The movie's realistic portrayal of the ingredients that can lead to bullying and other forms of unkindness inflicted on outsiders by those in power, speaks strongly to viewers watching in the 21st century.

Scott's feature debut is beautifully filmed and offers an unexpectedly shocking ending.

An auspicious debut for Scott, but one whose ingredients are too familiar to really fizz. Green is great, though, in a dark-tinged role that plays to her strengths.

In many ways Cracks is lurid and rickety. But its gripping ensemble performances lend it an emotional intensity that outweighs its shortcomings.