The Rage in Placid Lake (2003)

From his first day of school--his hippie parents sent him wearing a dress to explore pre-conceived notions of sexuality--Aussie teen Placid Lake (Ben Lee) has been the target of bullies. Placid's intellectual superiority serves him well at graduation. His kiss-off to prep school bullies, his parents, and society in general finds Placid in a body cast for months. Much to his best mate and intellectual companion, Gemma's (Rose Byrne) chagrin, Placid decides to reinvent himself as normal. His parents are devastated, Gemma bemused, and Placid?! Well, he likes it--suit and all. Icarus Insurance soon finds its latest Fast Track managerial candidate. It's not until a chance encounter that Placid really embraces what he's known all along.

In the same vein of Garden State and Napoleon Dynamite, The Rage in Placid Lake channels a quirky vibe in a left-of-center rebel/misfit/coming of age story. Never taking itself too seriously, the film is content to meander as Placid explores this thing call life, making startling and sometimes hysterical revelations.

Newcomer Ben Lee is an odd looking fellow and plays quirky cool well. Rose Byrne is too beautiful to be real here, but fits despite overtly sexual genius. Miranda Richardson stars as hippie mom Sylvia is top-notch. The entire cast of supporting characters are equally engaging.

What really elevates this virtual sleeper is the overall wacky tone from writer/director Tony McNamara. An underlying atmosphere of normalcy (see The Chumscrubber only less dark) is supplemented with sharp dialogue, unique delivery, and nearly unnoticeable soundtrack. All the elements created a film that most everyone can relate to, but will require a skewed sense to really enjoy.

As I see it, The Rage in Placid Lake is a charming, funny film for the misfit in all of us.