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The Vicious Circle (2007 film)

About
A feature-length, independent film, tackling the topics of bullying and hatred from a teenager's perspective.

Plot
Trent Morrison is a fifteen year old, struggling to adapt to a new school (after being home-schooled for ten years) and home, with the overbearing pressure of his controlling father, Earl. In the opening scene, there is a sense of family discord among Trent, his older brother, his younger sister and their father. Trent tries to confide in his workacholic mother, but to no avail.

At school, Trent is introduced to a new teacher, who tries to connect with the youth of today. Called "Mick" by his students, the teacher begins to crack at Trent's shell, uncovering what lies beneath. At the same time, Trent meets Rob Keller, a free-living and angst-ridden teen who shows Trent that there's more to life then just rules. Rob introduces Trent to his cohorts, Abby and Kevin.

Home is where Trent's problems lie, as he tries desperately to stand up to his controlling father, who is doing everything he can to maintain his grip on his family. Trent's younger sister, Susan, is still home-schooled by their father and his older brother, Ian, announces plans to move out, causing termoil among the siblings. In an intense meeting at the dinner table, the relationship between Earl and his wife, Kathy, is put to the test in front of their children as the two break-out into a married couple's spat that does not end well. Trent later tries to confide in his mother, but finds her drunk in her room. When Trent tries to take control of his mother's behavior, she slaps him.

At school, Trent is adapting to Rob's way of living, but isn't getting along well with Kevin. At the school dance, Trent meets Kathryn Evans, who explains what Rob, Abby and Kevin are really like. Shortly after, Trent gets into a fight with Kevin and is kicked out of the dance. When he returns home, he finds that his father has waited up for him. In an emotional scene, Earl explains why he home-schooled his kids in the first place: "to protect them."

Trent's grades begin falling as he skips class on numerous occasions to hang out with Rob and Abby. The trio are introduced to a new kid at school, whom they dub "penguin boy" because of his weight. The boy, David Taylor, is shy and timid and moved because he was bullied at his old school. Trent, Rob and Abby begin giving him the same treatment he just recently escaped from.

Trent finds Kevin sitting alone at a park and confronts him on his behavior. Kevin reveals that his parents died when he was young and has had a rough life through the foster-care system. Trent and Kevin share a cigarette and decide to put their bad feelings behind them. News about a party erupts and Trent is invited by Brad Walker, a classmate who frequently stands up for David Taylor. At the party Trent is introduced to alcohol and drugs, but finds the substances overwhelming and passes out. The party is bad news for Trent and Rob, as Rob begins to suspect that Abby may have slept with Kevin. In a rage, the two storm out the next morning.

Later on, Rob confronts Kevin on his suspicion. Kevin has no answer for Rob, who seems to be filled with anger and rage. Rob threatens to kill Kevin if he ever sees him again.

Trent is picking on David in the school's parking lot when Brad intervenes. The two break out into a violent spat that later turns physical in class. During an after school detention for fighting, Trent is confronted by Kathryn who tells him that if he's trying to fit in, he's doing the wrong thing. Mick holds Trent after class to talk to him about his downhill behavior. Trent keeps his feet firm and won't allow Mick to help him. Mike tells him that he is going to hit rock-bottom, but Trent doesn't care.

Following their meeting, Trent bumps into David in the stairwell. In a rage, he pins him against the wall and threatens to kill him if he ever sees him again, mimicking Rob's threat to Kevin.

That same night, Trent experiences a vivid dream involving him and his younger-self. In the dream, Trent sees Rob stab himself, and David, badly beaten and covered in blood. The dream startles Trent, but not enough to make him change his ways. In the end, it was all in his subconscious. The following day, Rob comes to Trent with some troubling information. He explains that he has been hiding a painful secret and makes Trent swear not to tell anybody. Rob is gay. Rob explains feelings of suicide and anguish and Trent is at a loss for words. Days later, Trent's rage is building up inside of him, as the lives of his friends and family seem to crumble around him. When Trent bumps into David in the hallway with Rob, he finally snaps. Trent drags David into a nearby bathroom and maliciously attacks him, nearly killing him until an upset and irate Rob storms out into the hallway. Turning his attention off of David, Trent follows Rob into the hallway. The two confront each other on their behaviors and break out into a violent fight that ends with a crowd and teachers pulling them off of each other.

At the principal's office the next day, Trent meets with his father, David's father, Mick and the principal and is faced with the punishments of his recent action. The principal announces her plans to expel Trent which sends him into a frenzy. An intense and very verbal fight breaks out in the office and Trent finally confronts his father, telling him he's not afraid of him anymore. The fight turns from Trent and his father to Earl and David's father who confront each other on their parenting. In a rage, Trent storms out of the office, followed by Mick.

Mick chases Trent out of the school and tackles him to the ground in the field. Trent breaks down while Mick tries to explain to him that they are only trying to help. In anguish, Trent flees from Mick and runs to his brother's newly inhabited apartment. Trent and his brother have a heart to heart and agree that the best way to fix the problem is to remove Trent from his current situation.

Late at night, Trent and his younger sister are seen packing their bags and quietly leaving their home to go and live with their older brother, who takes them in with great apprehension. This sparks the beginning of Trent's willingness to change. The final scene of the movie shows a sorrowful looking Trent standing at the doorstep of David Taylor, ringing the doorbell and waiting for an answer. The scene fades to black before there is one.

History
The Vicious Circle is the first full-length feature film produced by "Impossible Dreams" an amateur film production company made up of teenage artists from the Kingston, Ontario community in Canada. The film was five years in the making and tackled the topics of bullying and hatred in a brash and disturbing manner. Student filmmaker Nicholas Arnold completed the 140 page screenplay when he was in the eighth grade in 2004. In 2005, Arnold founded an unofficial crew of teenage filmmakers that would later be known as "Impossible Dreams," and put the film into the pre-production stages. Over 100 applicants were reviewed and a cast of thirty-eight was chosen, including Canadian country star, Jim Patterson of "The Jim Patterson Band." Arnold received funding and donations from a number of different charitable organizations and began the shooting of the film (with a budget of over $35,000.00) in the summer of 2006. Shooting lasted for fifty-seven days and post-production lasted for a year after that.

The film was edited using Final Cut Pro. and was finished on July 15th, 2007 with a running length of two hours and sixteen minutes. Arnold teamed up with renowned bullying psychologist, Dr. Wendy Craig of Queens University and premiered the film to a sold out crowd of nearly five-hundred people on September 28th, 2007.