The Final

THE FINAL

A ballsy project in this post-Columbine environment, The Final is a harrowing and haunting film from 2010 in which a group of outcasts trick all the bullies from their high school into attending a costume party at an isolated house and then drug and torture them. 

Many of the actors playing the outcasts give outstanding nuanced performances (Lindsay Seidel as Emily is particularly good).  Judging from reviews and comments at The Internet Movie Database, I seem to be in the minority when I assert that this project has a smart script and clever directorial choices.  The early scenes depict realistic examples of the cruelty some teens inflict on others, and the later scenes show the dire consequences that such bullying can evoke.  The movie’s narrative builds at a steady pace and hooks the viewer with anticipation as soon as one realizes that the outcasts are plotting some form of revenge. 

“There are more like us out there,” the final outcast tells police moments before he shoots himself.  Indeed, I fear that this tale is a reflection not only of events that have already transpired in our society but also of things yet to come.