It is hard to talk about a film like this, one that is full of tropes, clichés, and ideas that have been done hundreds of times before, to much better effect. Reading the description, I instantly knew what I was in for and what was going to happen in this film. And I wasn't wrong.

These tales of youth are dime a dozen, and this doesn't really bring a whole lot of anything new to the table. It has the typical emotional beats one would expect from a film like this. Girl ends up on wrong side of the tracks. Goes crazy, bad things happen, blah blah.

I know right now it sounds like I am ragging on this but truth is, I quite enjoyed it. At the very least all that I ask from a film is to give me characters I can care about and become interested in. And this film certainly gave me that. I don't really know why, but the way Leah's downward spiral was portrayed was downright hypnotizing at times.

And then there's the ironic ending and final scene, which really elevated this film from a 6 to a 7 for me. Leah's struggle was certainly real, and her journey of addiction that leads to rape among other things, was certainly tumultuous. And yet, nothing really truly devastating ever happened to her. I faulted that to bad writing, but really that's the whole point. After getting out of jail, her boyfriend almost immediately ends up back in custody, for killing in self defense. After all that hard work and trauma Leah subjected herself to, to get him out, and it's all in vain. And Leah herself? Well, nothing happens to her. The final shot is her just sitting in class, life moving on as normal. Which for as simple as it sounds, that scene held A LOT of impact and brought new depth to the whole of the film.

I definitely read it as some commentary on white privilege. Her Latino boyfriend ends up in jail facing many years for just mere possession, whereas the ubiquitous white girl not only possesses, but sells copious amounts of drugs, and she never even once has so much as a finger pointed her way, let alone an arrest.

Maybe I am reading into it too much, but that scene really changed everything for me. I've seen many films like this before, but this was a particularly arresting tale of an archetypal white person who rejects a life of privilege in favor of a hard knock life. Why? Who knows. This film isn't about why. It's about consequences. Or rather, the lack of consequences some people will/won't have to face, due to status and color of skin.

This movie is terrible. Obviously the ending is the worst part but that doesn't mean the rest is any good. People saying how "real" this movie is but they have no idea what they're talking about. I'm being generous with a 4/10, go watch something else.

I just could not connect with this film. There is no message, no "learning curve" or "lesson learned" or saving grace and I don't like that. It was brutal, and confronting and and the downward spiral of the female lead was sickening and pointless. I get that this is while happens in real life, and this perhaps is where the film was lost on me... I'm a privileged white girl who now at 35 years of age has managed to keep my nose completely clean because I made good choices. I get that this is the downward spiral of so many, who either get caught up or deliberately put themselves in those situations. I found it really really hard to watch and considered turning it off halfway through but pushed through, I feel like I've wasted 2 hours and got no enjoyment whatsoever out of it - and the film hasn't really made a point or has a purpose for me. This review will probably upset a few people and going of majority of the reviews, I have a completely different opinion on the film to many others...