Regionrat is a 2018 drama about a young man who returns to his depressed hometown to finish his High School senior year, reconnecting with old friends, and old habits.
High School has long been fertile ground for screenwriters and movie makers, these tumultuous years ripe for rehashing. From raucous comedic sex romps to genuine coming of age heartbreakers, the genre tends to cut a wide swath as each new generation takes a look back to re-spin the glory days. So it is with director Javier Reyna‘s debut independent film Regionrat, a 90s throwback with a laid back style that may avoid the hi-jinks of a teen school flick but also doesn’t stray too far from the standards before steering into darker waters, making this a solid pick.
After six months in Seattle, where Ray (Connor Williams) tried to make a fresh start at a new school, he finds he’s got no friends and no money, his divorced parents – living on opposite ends of the country – offering no help. With nowhere else to go, he heads back to his old stomping grounds in Indiana, to a place nicknamed ‘the region,’ allowed to live in one of his dad’s houses while finishing his last year of school. Once there, he settles back in with former friends and their less than motivated lifestyle, skipping class and smoking weed. He meets a girl named Erin (Natassia Halabi), a party gal herself and gets hooked, though she sort of has a boyfriend with a very bad attitude. But this is only the start of a series of problems that slowly tests Ray, and soon spins him into the abyss.
Based on the book of the same name by Richard Laskowski, Regionrat is a curious mix of black comedy, quirky neo-noir, and authentic drama with a talky nature as Ray narrates his experiences throughout, his low flat tone like a gum shoe of the 40s regaling his latest adventure. That aside, the story has a Bret Easton Ellis vibe and while the indie production can’t match the films made from his books, Reyna manages to carve out a little nook for himself nonetheless. Ray is a troubled kid, left to his own devices by his folks, his hardscrabble childhood seeing him in bad with the law from the start, though mostly petty stuff. Either way, it’s left him a bit raw with hardly a care, even as he thinks he wants to reset his path. Problem is, all roads lead to more corners when everyone seems to push him to edges he can’t step back from.
It’s honestly a little hard to get your head around Reyna’s take, the movie a bit slow and tonally jagged, purposefully, comedically uneasy, building to a jarring bend that then commits to some hard hits. I won’t reveal what happens of course, but it’s handled very well and proves to be just the right turn the film needs. Williams is a strong presence and while Ray is a frustratingly detached character, the actor lends him great credibility. He’s a tough kid in search of something true, yet can’t seem to find himself even though he’s all he’s got.
Regionrat doesn’t really break new ground and never really hits the high it seems set to reach, yet it does find a few moments that often makes this a movie that delivers real punch. There’s great authenticity to much of what Ray lives through, from the staid classroom ins and outs to his friends who just want to make it to tomorrow. This feels like high school. Reyna also does right in ditching some mainstays, with parties that feel just like how you remember and a terrific moment between Ray and a thug (Harry Holmes) who has come to beat him up. It’s the best moment in the movie.