Sometimes a film comes a long that changes your perspective on your life or the place that you live. Sometimes a film comes along that makes you look deeper into your own world to find what is truly happening around you. And then sometimes a film comes along that makes you feel like the guy who writes the "Just Say No to Drugs" bumper stickers has never seen Urban America. On the Outs is an example of the latter. It is more than a story about the culture of the American streets; it is a story about the faults of humanity and our inability to resist temptation.

Alright, so I understand that the previous paragraph could set me up for a prophetic lecture on the rights and wrongs of our society. That is not the purpose of this exercise, though. The purpose is to set the stage for a film called On the Outs; a story of three girls and their struggle with addiction, lust and the loss of innocence that comes with life on the streets as a teenager. The story follows Oz, a 17-year-old streetwise drug dealer; Marisol, a crack-addicted mother of one; and Suzette, a confused 16-year-old who got caught up with the wrong guy in worst ways. The film follows these three girls as they try fight their way through their world of addiction, with only small hopes of survival.

I was instantly drawn in to the stories of these three girls, and the unnervingly real world in which they live. Their stories are compelling, but also sad and terribly tragic. I can attest this to amazing casting job done with this movie. Judy Marte, heralded for her previous work in the film Raising Victor Vargas, was especially good as the cold but conflicted Oz. By herself, she could have carried the emotional weight of this film.

On top of the performances that made these characters so interesting was a production that seemed to be more like a documentary than a work of fiction. This is one of those times when a low production value helps a film. I found myself imagining that rather than watching a film, I was somehow getting to look directly into the lives of three troubled young girls. But there was even more to it, I felt like not only was I looking into the lives of these girls, but I was looking at a part of our society that so many choose ignore. That above all things made this film an emotional experience.