After the sudden death of his father, Barret and his mother move to New Jersey, trying get a new start. Rejected by the local jocks in his new high school, Barret becomes friends with another outcast named Ryan, and they seem to share a similar disdain for the rest of the school. However, Ryan's hatred and antisocial personality is more deep-seated than Barret's, and he seems much more prone to violence.

Fans of Kevin Smith's films may recognize the name of Vincent Pereira, who is the official "View Askew Historian", and was instrumental in encouraging Smith to become a filmmaker. "A Better Place" shows that Pereira is a filmmaker in his own right, with a different agenda than Kevin, and his own sensibilities towards characters, story development and visual interpretation. After achieving success with his first feature, "Clerks", Smith turned around and helped his friend Pereira by producing his low-budget script through his View Askew production company. The result shows that Vincent Pereira not only has talent as a writer and a director (and editor), but also knows how to squeeze as much as possible out of a very limited budget - it's hard to believe this film was made for around $40,000. Filmed in 1995 and finished in early 1997, that fall it appeared in many film festivals and college screenings, receiving favorable reactions, but never got picked up for distribution. The DVD release was delayed several times, most notably for a pro bono Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack remixing courtesy of Skywalker Ranch, but it finally hit the street on August 7, 2001, and it was well worth the wait. For fans of independent, low budget, original films, this DVD is a real treat. When Barret arrives in a new town, he seems to get off on the wrong foot with just about everyone. Ryan, a loner with his own troubled past, helps him out of a tough spot and their friendship begins. However, Ryan isn't quite the type to make "friends" with anyone - he seems to simply identify with their shared contempt for their classmates. Barret may not really agree with some of Ryan's harsher views towards society, but he grasps for any connection he can get to stave off his own loneliness. As Ryan's past starts to enter the picture, and Barret begins making other friends, their relationship becomes strained, and Ryan appears headed towards more and more violent outbursts. Since Barret tries to salvage their friendship, he inadvertently gets pulled along for the ride, as part innocent victim and part knowing-but-helpless conspirator. The very last scene in the film is one of the better endings I've seen recently. As a first film, and a very low budget one at that, "A Better Place" is a huge success. While some of the acting comes off as a bit amateurish, and there are moments and scenes that don't really work, overall the film gives a convincing look and feel to the insecurities of modern adolescents. It shows how kids, succumbing to one sort of peer pressure or another, can go along with a situation that they don't really support simply out of a need to belong, or be liked. The two leads, Robert DiPatri and Eion Bailey as Barret and Ryan, are excellent - well cast and up to the task of portraying their characters as real people, and not simply stereotypes of "loners" and "violent teens". Carmen Lee and Brian Lynch are also utilized well, showing Barret branching out and making new friends. Also, watch for Carmen's husband, Jason Lee (perhaps you've heard of him) in an uncredited cameo or two.

The DVD box lists the aspect ratio as 1.66:1, and I seem to recall reading that it is actually 1.5:1, but it seems even smaller than that - there is only the tiniest slivers of black bars at the top and bottom of the screen. The picture quality is excellent - this film has no right to look this good, considering the incredibly modest budget. Some of the scenes suffer from poor lighting, and one in particular was flawed on the day of shooting (as described in the liner notes), but those are minor complaints for this remarkably good-looking film. Sound: The Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is a huge improvement over the original mono mix - there is even an extra feature that compares the two, and shows what a big difference quality sound makes to a film. Especially well done are the outdoor scenes, in which the sound of the wind envelops the viewer. There is also a Dolby 2.0 Surround mix for those without 5.1 channel capability.

3 different introductions with producers Kevin Smith and Scott Mosier are presented, and they are somewhat amusing, but also unnecessary - this film stands on it's own. A commentary track with Vincent Pereira, Brian Lynch, Joseph Cassese, and Robert DiPatri is quite informative, and Vincent is very candid about what he thinks doesn't work in the film, or what he would do differently. 8 deleted scenes, with or without commentary by Vincent, are also included. Then there is the aforementioned sound comparison, which shows 3 scenes, each in both the original mono mix and the Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. Finally, there are color bars - which makes for a nice transition into the Easter Eggs. If you let the color bars play you will be treated to some outtakes, alternate takes, and miscellaneous clips. Also, after watching the film go to the second page of the "Special Thanks" section, and arrow up to highlight "the pizza guy". This will reveal a menu from which you can play the very funny trailer to Brian Lynch's "Big Helium Dog", or access the second commentary track, a drunken affair with the same group from the first commentary, only several cocktails later. Keep in mind that you have to watch the film first (or scan through it) before you can access these Easter Eggs.

Vincent Pereira has come out of the gate with a well-made, accomplished film for an unbelievably low budget. (Sure, his pal made "Clerks" for $25,000, but it doesn't look nearly as good as this film.) He really establishes a specific mood with the film, and presents an original view about some of the contributing factors that can turn adolescents towards violence. The DVD is incredibly packed for such a low-profile film - here's hoping it gets him noticed, and helps him find funding for his next project. I'd also like to point out Brian Lynch's contributions - while his role in the film is small, he is obviously a close friend of Vincent's. He provides very funny liner notes to the DVD, the wonderful "Big Helium Dog" trailer, and hilarious contributions throughout the "drunken" commentary track - I want to see this guy's future projects, as well as Vincent Pereira's.