Based on the Bret Easton Ellis novel of the same title(that I have not read and cannot compare it to, albeit I understand that it goes far in portraying the same disillusioned, borderline psychopathic types), this chronicles the passing of Spring to Winter in the lives of three Camden college students; drug dealer Sean(younger brother of Patrick Bateman, from American Psycho; played by Van Der Beek, who I didn't expect to do well, but he surprised me), virgin Lauren(Sossamon) and bisexual Paul(Somerhalder), who barely knew each other, and are suddenly in a love triangle with each other(there's a lot of unrequited love in this, and they don't notice that only they are into the relationship, and/or they don't take care of it). They and their peers(in fact, everyone in this) have trouble connecting(or communicating... they talk without saying anything) with anyone else(one point has a snowflake melt on someone's temple, in place of them shedding a tear), and do plenty of drugs and drinking to get by. With this being a very provocative picture, it places some of the very most disgusting material right at the beginning. If you don't last until the opening credits sequence, this is not for you. And don't feel bad, it's a very explicit piece. This very much follows the logic that you don't need appealing characters, that you can center the focus on interesting, yet horrible, human beings. I gotta say, it works. There is no one likable in this, yet it didn't bore me. They are shallow, spoilt(and since you meet a few of the parents, you understand why), arrogant and care for little other than satisfying their own urges(which they project onto their preferred partner). This needing to differentiate between the three perspectives and the fairly different(all messed up, yes... not in the same exact way, however) people led to them using nicely done visual things(the storytelling is superb), such as splitscreen and "rewinding the film", in order to set the stage(in time and location) for what happened to one of the others, simultaneously with what we've just seen. It also starts at the conclusion, after which, it is in chronological order(noting aforementioned skips backwards). This is one of the few honest movies about going to a university(one might call it a satire on that, and a savage beating of the "teenage romp"), all the unhappy couples, desires running rampant, how little the students care about class(in fact, we never see them in that setting, though we see them at plenty of parties) etc. It's raw. The acting is great, for everyone involved. Writing and development are very well-done, you really get a sense of this environment and the men and women there. This is the only film directed by Avary I've seen, and one of the only ones he's done. You can understand why he and Tarantino get along; they share an appreciation of the despicable. This is marvelously paced, it never stands still without going by too fast. There is a lot of fairly graphic sexual content, full male and female nudity, strong language and disturbing, violent, bloody content(including suicide attempts) in this. The DVD comes with informational extras. They are the six commentaries: #1(Sharon Seymour, Ron Jeremy, Ian Somerhalder & Russell Sams), #2(Shannyn Sossamon, Theresa Wayman, Kip Pardue & Clifton Collins Jr.), 3# Jeremiah Samuels, Andy Milburn, Thomas Ian Nichols & Joel Michaely), 4#(Robert Brinkmann & Harry Ralston), #5(Carrot Top)(it's... his typical shtick, maybe? Immature, yet adult in tone, comedy, some of it genuinely funny, and he may very well be recording it as he watches this for the first time; his doesn't tell you much about the production, if it is amusing) & #6(Sharon Rutter & Eric Szmanda), a 26 and a half minute anatomy of a scene featurette, 13 minutes of "soundbites"(interviews) and the original script in .pdf format(no, I'm not reading it all, besides, I know perfectly well that I don't have the chops to critique it). It also comes with a theatrical trailer for this, The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys, Hollywood Ending and Jet Lag, a teaser and a TV spot. I recommend this to anyone who wants a credible depiction of this sort of situation. 7/10