Once again, Green uses sumptuous cinematography, long takes and bracingly natural performances to draw us into the story. These are authentic people living real life, not some Hollywood recreation of it. Schneider is terrific--likeable and flawed, and trying too hard to prove that everyone's wrong about him. The actors around him are just as authentic ... and funny. While the other standout, as usual, is Clarkson, who invests just the right balance of steely energy and barely reserved emotion. Every scene feels like improv--offhanded and funny, intense and frighteningly emotional. There are moments of nearly transcendent sweetness (without ever being sugary), and the tensions and pressures of rural machismo are palpable. To paraphrase one character, these people aren't "careful or educated or strong", but they are discovering things about themselves in a place where growing a beard or having your hair cut is a major life change. Yes, the film meanders a bit, getting slightly mopey and failing to generate much chemistry between Paul and Noel. But even this is so realistic that it demands to be seen.