California teen Anita Minteer struggles in the face of an absentee mother, her mom's abusive boyfriend, Rooney, and a lack of respect from her classmates. This all changes when a pen-pal school project connects her with convict Howard. Anita secures Howard's parole and violently squares off against Rooney after he rapes her. Soon enough, the gun-crazy teen is on the run with Howard, with his parole officer in pursuit.
Acting
Barrymore's feral vulnerability—post-rehab comeback nobody saw coming
Direction
Davis shoots rape revenge with uncomfortable intimacy, not exploitation
Score
Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore brings noisy dread to small-town hellscape
Director
Tamra Davis
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Drew Barrymore was 17 during filming, fresh from rehab—director Davis fought the studio to keep her. This was her 'serious' pivot before Scream.
A forgotten entry in the 90s 'bad girl' cycle alongside The Crush and Poison Ivy, but directed by a woman which changes EVERYTHING about the gaze.
US
