As You Are

The film unfolds during the 1990s, a period marked by grunge culture and social upheaval. References to Kurt Cobain’s era-defining suicide anchor the mood and influence the youths’ sense of rebellion and disillusionment. Gun culture, casual drug use, and parental dynamics shape the characters’ choices and fears.

Set in a quiet suburban town in the 1990s, the story moves between family homes, a skate park, and the surrounding woods. The setting contrasts everyday teen life with sudden bursts of violence and secrecy. Neighborhood streets and local hangouts frame the characters' coming-of-age tensions.

💞 Love & Identity

The story centers on Jack and Mark’s evolving bond, exploring first attraction and the complexities of queer desire in a tight-knit suburban setting. Their connection tests friendships, family boundaries, and social norms as adolescence unfolds. Love here is both transformative and perilous, driving characters toward difficult decisions.

⚠️ Family & Control

Tom’s controlling behavior and the strain it places on Karen and the boys highlight how authority and fear shape youth. The home environment becomes a pressure cooker that intensifies risk-taking and emotional turbulence. The violent dynamics at home linger over the characters’ actions and loyalties.

🗝️ Secrets & Memory

Interrogations and flashbacks braid memory and truth, leaving what happened in the woods murky and open to interpretation. The narrative foregrounds unreliable recollections as characters clash over events at the skate park and beyond. The unresolved ending invites reflection on guilt, responsibility, and what is real.