In his debut film, "George Washington," Green went overboard trying to recreate the languid, rambling life of southern adolescents. The film was torture to watch. Things improved last year with the release of "All the Real Girls," Green's gorgeous ode to the mysterious and painful realities of fresh romantic relationships. It was near perfect. "Undertow" (IMDb listing) is Green trying on a more conventional plot this time out, dressing the film up as a gritty, grainy southern thriller circa 1976 (down to the yellow simplicity of the opening titles and pulling out the old United Artists studio banner). The results are disappointingly stuck in the middle of Green's capabilities.