Jack the Bear

Warning: Contains some spoilers

Although essentially a "coming of age" drama, few coming of age films show the degree of anger experienced by the title character of this movie. Jack is an adolescent who, as the movie opens, has just moved to a new neighborhood after the death of his mother. During the next few months he faces some harsh realities such as a new school, his deteriorating opinion of his father, the abduction of his little brother and his fear of a dangerous neighbor. He deals with his problems the only way he can - by crying. None of these themes are new in a coming of age movie but the emotions Jack goes through seem multiplied by 100 when compared to similar films. When he feels guilt, I was shocked by its intensity. And when he feels angry, I felt uneasy at the degree of rage shown by a basically mild mannered preteen.

The film is also not afraid to show its characters acting unpredictably. I came to care about them and was sometimes shocked by their behavior.

This movie is too intense for small children, but unfortunately adults may be put off by the storyline and the age of the main character. However, I'd recommend it to teens and adults who might have forgotten how rough adolescence can be.