Ruth Avery (Jessica Barden) is a teenager living in a dying industrial American town. With her older brother, they steal recyclables to sell to a junkyard owned by Hark. Their home is under eviction threat. Their mother Rhonda is in jail and struggling to find rehab. She herself is struggling to graduate from high school since she keeps skipping to go work. She gets an opportunity to attend college, but there are overwhelming hurdles.
This movie paints a compelling picture of a place and a social class. It sets up for a compelling story. Although this story misses some opportunities for greater drama. I'm just looking for a bigger story. I actually thought the brother was the one killed during the incident. That would have been dramatic. Jessica Barden is great, but she is getting a little too old to play a teenager. All in all, this sets up for something good, but the potential is not fully realized.
