The depiction of shallow "bad youth" stereotypes in films such as Eden Lake panders to those who would have us believe that this is really how it is, and that we live in a society where such irreparably damaged one-dimensional "youths" are incapable of conscious thought. The truth is far more complicated and in dealing with more rounded portrayals this film juggles with the expectations of both the characters and the audience to great effect. The cast are brilliant and so convincing that for much of the film you might wonder if they were really acting at all. The dialogue is accurate, unpretentious where it needs to be and perfectly judged. This is a brilliant short.
