Wasted on the Young packs an emotional and visual punch, yet its lack of likeable characters and inherently despairing attitude makes this one cynically violent trip back to the school yard.

The dark recesses of teenagedom has been popular in cinema since James Dean screamed that society was “tearing me apart!”, yet even the late great Rebel Without a Cause would shudder at this chilling look into the moral ambiguity that thrives in Generation Y.

Wasted on the Young is not a documentary. Written and directed by Ben C. Lucas, this is a film which relies on a heightened sense of realism. Yet like all tall tales there is a sense of truth felt throughout, and the truth found here is one we all know: teenagers can be scary little fuckers.

Set in a prestigious private school, the film focuses on Darren (Oliver Ackland) and Zack (Alex Russell), step brothers on opposite sides of the social spectrum in the high school scene.

When Oliver’s potential girlfriend Xandrie (Adelaide Clemens) is drugged and raped by Zack and his group of elitist criminals in training, it sets off a chain reaction of violence and intimidation, and forces Oliver to finally confront his brother.

Throughout is a mostly negative portrayal of Gen Y, who are presented as morally ambiguous, tech obsessed, and running in cliques dominated by sociopaths. That these traits are backed by real life accounts makes it that much more frightening, and gives credibility to Lucas’s representation of the modern teen world.

For a debut feature, there are moments of brilliance to be found here. Lucas has proven himself to be a director with a keen eye for the visual, with sharp photography and slick editing giving the film an energetic feel. Performances are also good, especially from the three leads who all establish their characters early on, with pinpoint precision.

Subtlety, however, is not a strong suit, with a deafening soundtrack often distracting, and pacing a problem with a relatively normal runtime feeling much longer.

Yet the most infuriating element of Wasted on the Young is found in the illogical and immoral decisions made by these characters, especially Ackland’s protagonist who although the supposed ethical compass of the film, is incredibly wanting of any redeeming factors.

The third act is especially over wrought and even at times repugnant, with the films ever present sense of physical and psychological violence climaxing in a Saw influenced display of final judgement.

Sorely needed was a counter to oppose the darkness that cloaked these characters and their world. Instead we are left with a thick shade of grey that fails to satisfy on any sense of morality.