Rave

Running time: N/A

Director Ron Krauss' Rave is an honest portrayal of the havoc wreaked by the innocence of youth, peer pressure and the overwhelming demands of family life. Daffy is a good kid from a Mexican family. Contrary to his father, Daffy has a low racial tolerance that causes obvious trouble with him and others. Nette, his girlfriend, just found out she is pregnant with Daffy's baby and is set on spending the rest of her life with him. The night leads Daffy, Nette and a few friends to a rave--where the attendees forget their differences and, as a whole, let the music, movement and drugs infect their minds. Unfortunately, Daffy's daily events--including an argument with his father--may have added up to too much, and the night may end in tragedy. Director Krauss takes great care in neither glamourizing the rave culture nor painting the picture that his lead characters are without human foibles. In fact, like characters from a Shakespearean play, the players of Rave are simplistically drawn, like pawns, into fate's ongoing game of tragedy. Reviewed by Al Owens