Reckless Indifference

A Phoenix pick

In 1995, Agoura Hills in California became the setting for a stabbing -- the climax of an argument among six teenagers over some stolen marijuana. The result was one dead teenager and another lucky to be alive, with parents, the LAPD, and many lawyers having their say about the various inconsistencies and injustices of the case. William Gazecki's documentary is organized into sections that increasingly complicate the movie's premise and lead to surprising conclusions. As the filmed testimony piles up -- beginning with one of the accused, Brendan Hein -- the story of the stabbing becomes less clear. Gazecki takes his time, allowing his tale to grow more interesting as he lets different aspects unfold -- the suggestion of gang violence, the fact that the victim's father was an LA police officer. By the end you don't know who or what to believe. Clumsy re-enactments cheapen the film's texture but can't undercut its basic narrative flow and respectful treatment of the subject. Reckless Indifference blurs the line between right and wrong for all the right reasons. Screens tonight at 7:30 and 10:10 p.m.

-- David Brusie

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Film Festival Feature Films

Shadow of the Vampire | Songcatcher | Venus Beauty Institute | What's Cooking? | The Broken Hearts Club | Envy | Goya in Bordeaux | Human Resources | Skipped Parts | Amargosa | Henry Hill | Relative Values | The Rising Place | The Contender | Pitch People | Roof to Roof | Four Dogs Playing Poker | Reckless Indifference | Requiem for a Dream | Shadow Magic | About Adam | Charming Billy | Enemies of Laughter | Into the Arms of Strangers | Running on the Sun | A Trial in Prague | Harry, He's Here to Help | A Man is Mostly Water | Seven Girlfriends

Also, Boston Film Festival short films