This film has the raw quality of a first feature-length movie by a new director. There are some interesting and revealing moments, but an aura of sensation and artistic pretense spoils the realistic timbre of the intriguing relationships between the characters, also contributing to a loss of their three-dimensionality. Whatever its faults, this film will provoke strong reactions in its viewers; this doesn't necessarily make for a good film, but it shows promise in the director's skill. I should mention that I personally found none of the characters sympathetic, and from this point of view the film strikes me as a study in human duplicity. The ending, however, suggests hope in what is otherwise a very brutal and dark portrayal of human relationships.