West Of Pluto

WEST OF PLUTO follows a handful of teenagers over the course of 24 hours. It starts out, innocuously enough, with a class presentation by one student on how Pluto lost its status as a planet and a conversation between two cheerleaders about whether or not Quebec should secede. Like a lot of high school movies, it builds to the big house party hosted by the shy kid who wants to impress the cool kids. But the party goes horribly wrong, and the older brother ends up in the car looking for the kids who trashed their house. What elevates this film above similar movies is the editing, which cuts into some scenes later than you'd expect and cuts out earlier in others, allowing the audience to participate in the storytelling. All of the high school archetypes are here, but they don't all act the way that you’d expect, and the nonprofessional actors give surprisingly polished performances. More than just a movie about high school kids, this is a film for anyone who's ever gone to high school. www.siff.net