Super Dark Times? How about Super Fuckin’ Dark Kick-Your-Teeth-In Stressful No Good Very Bad Times. Writers Ben Collins and Luke Piotrowski construct a backyard crime drama – like if Brick followed a cover-up instead of investigation – while debut filmmaker Kevin Phillips acts as visionary/our soul’s executioner. You know what’s going to happen. It’s obvious. That still doesn’t keep this maliciously pitch-black thriller from ripping your guts out, locked eye-to-eye all the while. Tension is tighter than a leather gag and adolescent unpreparedness heightens reaction. Choke on your fancy words, because there’s only one phrase that captures our reaction – holy shit. Savage, sincere and so very unsettling.

Collins and Piotrowski open on death – a dear carcass that’s been dragged into a school cafeteria. It’s a short intro that leads into Zach (Owen Campbell) and Josh (Charlie Tahan) sitting on a basement sofa, discussing boyhood pleasantries.