Trans
This critically acclaimed indie about the many forms of entrapment won writer-director Julian Goldberger the Someone to Watch award at the 2000 Independent Spirit Awards. Ryan, an inmate at a Florida juvenile detention center, manages to escape during a fight, but he gradually learns that there aren't many places to run to.Transis an interestingly written movie, with dead-on good ol' boy dialogue as well as Ryan's almost ridiculously sophisticated speech. Though not fully satisfying in all respects, the film does a good job of portraying the different kinds of desperation that prison and "freedom" create. Goldberger is especially good at capturing characters who have gray areas just like real people do--no one veers too far into goodness or badness. Ryan's run is a compelling one; most viewers will give some long, hard thought to the way we treat our troubled youth.--Ali Davis