He Just Wants to Be Loved.

Dare

Directed By: Adam Salky

Starring: Emmy Rossum, Zach Gilford, & Ashley Springer

I'm going to get the messy part of this review out of the way early, by going ahead to explain why I didn't give Dare a perfect four stars. Ironically, in order to start there, I must begin at the movie's ending. It is far too abrupt, ending before we have proper closure for any of the characters we have grown to love. I understand that the producers wanted to leave it rather open-ended and up to our own interpretation, but I didn't find there to be enough evidence to help the audience create their own conclusion. Whew, with that said, I can go on to tell you all about the rest of this movie, a movie that I actually loved more than I ever expected to. It is a low-budget independent feature that tells a rather conventional story in a fresh, vibrant, and intriguing way. It is no surprise that, with talent like Emmy Rossum and Zach Gilford, Dare is mostly aided by its cast. Gilford, especially, takes the forefront and stands out prominently. A relatively-unknown actor who has mostly done supporting and television work, he gives the kind of performance that could have jettisoned him instantly into stardom had Dare earned the attention it so fully deserved. Instead, I imagine, it will be one of the performances that, after he achieves A-list status (and, I can assure you, that will happen soon), we will all look back upon and say, "Man, how did we miss him for so long?"

Dare is about the exploration of teen sexuality. No one humps an apple pie and no one uses a flute as a sex toy...no, this is a mature movie about a potentially mature topic. You see, sex is often treated quite flippantly by movies or, if they do dare to delve more deeply into it, they stick to such well-worn topics as teen pregnancy, homosexuality, or peer pressure. Dare, however, internalizes three teenagers' struggle with their own sexual awakenings. Emmy Rossum plays Alexa Walker, an all-too-perfect young woman who aspires to be an actress. When an experienced actor, Grant Matson (Alan Cumming), tells her that her acting problems are caused not by her lack of knowledge, but by her lack of experience, she seduces a local bad boy and her costar in the school play, Johnny Drake (Zach Gilford). Johnny, the son of a wealthy but frequently-absent father and an overbearing stepmother, feels unloved in his life. He cannot connect to anyone, a problem he works tirelessly with his therapist (an underused Sandra Bernhard) to solve. After Alexa's childhood best friend, Ben Berger (Ashley Springer), gives him a ride home, Ben and Johnny become sexually involved as well, forming a complex love triangle that threatens to tear them all apart.

But, Dare ventures much deeper into the minds of these characters than just the synopsis suggests. Alexa and Ben, for example, seem to grow completely consumed by their newly-established sexualities, but neither because of a simple enjoyment of sex. For them, it becomes a drug that is inescapable and warps their minds so that, by the end, they are almost completely unrecognizable. Johnny, easily the movie's most sympathetic character, becomes involved with Alexa and Ben because, for the first time in his life, he has met two people who look at him and actually understand him. Is he straight? Is he gay? It actually doesn't matter; in the end, a male can give him the same love that a female can and, thus, Alexa and Ben are serving the same purpose. It is especially important to note that, while Alexa and Ben both seduce Johnny (famous in his high school for being a bad boy), he is perfectly happy watching television with Ben's family or just being with his newfound friends. When he suggests that they can all form a relationship together in New York, he does not mean it in a sexual way; he, having been ignored and unloved his entire life, has finally experienced love and now he cannot handle the prospect of losing any of it for any reason.

The sexual awakening that most teenagers experience makes for very compelling cinema when it is handled with dignity and respect, and when its complexities are fully understood by the filmmakers. To be fair, Dare exists in a heightened reality, where there is a perfect storm of troubled teens existing in close proximity. That was necessary for Dare to deliver its intended message...just what that message is, I am not completely sure. There are many levels to this movie, some that are very blatant while others are only merely hinted at in a scene or two. I think primarily that it is a warning to parents, telling them to love and understand their children. Even that does not seem to fit the complexities of Dare, which is speaking just as much to young adults as it is to their parents. Teens should not have to fear sexuality; it is a natural part of maturation that, though parents might want to suppress it, occurs during the teenage years for a reason. Dare explores this complicated time with empathy and intrigue, never shying away from difficult or awkward moments. For that reason, it might be uncomfortable for some viewers, but it is respectful and the sexual scenes are compelling, but never all too revealing. Propelled by a strong cast and profound writing, Dare is a remarkable movie that will remain with you long after it is finished.