Despite a few loose ends, Jim McKay's first feature is a fresh, spontaneous film about the relationships between four high-school girls who have been abused by males in different ways. Developed in a series of improvisational workshops, with all of the principals receiving writing credit, the script pivots on the suicide of one of the group and the discovery by the others that she had been raped. Essentially a series of dialogue scenes among a group of friends hanging out talking, the film gives the characters a chance to vent about their painful experiences as victims of their boyfriends and other men. Without knowing if any of the material was autobiographical, one senses the actresses' commitment to these issues and their passion gives the film a rare sense of urgency and immediacy. When they finally decide to take revenge on some of those who have abused them, their actions seem futile, leaving the film without a sense of dramatic resolution. Although all the actresses are given too much room at times, and some scenes could have been edited, they all create complex, believable characters, with Lili Taylor a standout as a tough-talking single mother.