As You Are

The film opens with a battered Mark examining his wounds in a mirror, then follows him into a wooded area with Jack. A gunshot echoes through the trees, hinting at a violent incident to come. This opening flashback is later referenced during the police interrogation.

In present day, a detective interrogates the surviving characters to uncover the truth about Mark and Jack's relationship and the events that led to a head injury. The interrogation frames every memory as potential evidence, gradually building the mystery. The tense questioning centers on what happened in the woods and how the past intersects with the present.

Months earlier, Karen begins dating Tom, a man with a son close to Jack's age. Tom moves into Karen's house, upending the boys' lives and introducing new dynamics and discipline. The new family arrangement sows the seeds of later conflict.

Jack and Mark meet through the blended family and quickly become inseparable, forming a core trio with Sarah. They spend their days together, navigating adolescence and the rough edges of the 1990s. The trio’s closeness is portrayed as platonic at first.

Tom shows his gun collection to the kids, who practice shooting in a nearby field. The activity normalizes danger and introduces early undercurrents of violence into their friendship. The setting foreshadows later dramatic turns.

Tom reveals plans for Jack to join the Marines and asserts control over the boys, drawing harsh lines between the adults' expectations and the boys' own desires. Tensions rise as Karen clashes with Tom over parenting and boundaries. The living situation becomes increasingly unstable.

One night, Tom catches Jack, Mark, and Sarah watching pornography together and reacts with violence. He then moves Mark and Jack out of Karen's house, an act that devastates Jack and marks a turning point in their relationship. The incident exposes Tom's volatile control over the family.

Mark leaves school, while Jack and Sarah begin dating after prom. Mark starts hanging out with a delinquent crowd, hinting at a harsher road ahead separate from Karen's house. The trio's earlier closeness begins to fracture under external pressures.

Mark and Jack reconnect in private, and Mark hints that he has deeper feelings for Jack. They share a passionate kiss, complicating their relationship and stirring fear about consequences. The moment sits against the backdrop of ongoing family tension.

During the interrogation, the detective pressures Jack and others to reveal what happened at the skate park and who was involved. Sarah is threatened with legal trouble to tell the truth about what she witnessed that night. The skate park becomes a focal point for the unresolved mystery.

Mark and Sarah reveal that they started dating, and Mark confesses that he can't handle the repercussions of their relationship. This admission intensifies Jack's emotional turmoil as the past returns to haunt them. The dynamic among the trio shifts further under the weight of secrets.

Mark arrives at Jack's house with a battered face, shares cough syrup, and tells Jack that he wishes he were a girl. Jack becomes drawn into Mark's turmoil, complicating their bond. They later retreat to the woods, arming themselves with Mark's father's guns.

Equipped with the guns, the two wander the woods and a single gunshot is heard as Jack is seen running out of the woods screaming for help. The ending remains deliberately ambiguous about who fired and what happened to Mark. The film closes with unresolved questions about culpability and love.