Set against a backdrop of decaying industry in a benighted corner of the New South, the film traces with a remarkable lack of sentimentality or condescension the midsummer wanderings of a group of mostly African-American children. The film opens with a memorable break-up scene. Buddy asks for one last kiss. Nasa asks Buddy to tell her he loves her.
Buddy responds with silence.
That the partners are barely in their teens is a source of both comedy and tragedy and a portent of the film's methods and power. Green uses his cast of non-actors to great effect and their guileless struggles with the sort of emotions that flatten most adults are exceptionally moving.