Daniels' actors have worked hard on their Appalachian accents. They evoke a society in which high school years are life at its best. And life at its best means the grim intensity of booze, risk and self-destruction. It seems to be a synonym for infatuation or obsession. Iizuka's characters describe one another a lot.
Monologues are as important as dialogue.
Acting per se amounts to a series of footnotes. As two ghosts, Deanna Companion is sinister and Chris Johnson is benign. As two brutes, Joshua Parrott is mouthy and Joseph DeLorenzo is devious. As two wounded souls, Heather Newman is rueful and Julie Rawley is tough. Clare Aronow and Steven Lee Shults represent innocence.