Ricky (Walters), age 20, is just out of prison and determined to straighten up. But back home his old pal Wisdom (Black) is still in the community's violent subculture, sparking an escalating feud with another thug (Lawson) over a broken wing mirror. Meanwhile, Ricky is trying to revive his relationship with his girlfriend (Samuels), convince his mother (Perkins) that he's putting violence behind him, and help his 12-year-old brother Curtis (Fraser) stay straight. But it's all much easier said than done.

Dibb balances the bleak subject matter with an honest, warmly comical tone that brings these characters strikingly to life, combined with vivid and natural performances from the entire cast. Perkins is the standout, while So Solid Crew's Walters (who first read the script while in prison on a gun charge) is excellent in the central role. That everyone is playing with fire actually adds to our connection with the central characters, most strikingly Ricky and Curtis. We become so attached to them, that their emotional scenes carry real weight, while sequences in which they're at extreme risk are almost unbearably tense.

The filmmaking has a strong-but-improvised feel. Camera work is low-key and perhaps a bit unfocussed. And Dibb seems almost too aware of the sheer weight of his central themes, drifting into preachiness at times while also drawing out the human resonance (an extended church scene at the end is wrenching, and maybe too strong for the subtle film around it). Fortunately, he never tries to explain away the problem, although he touches on most of the usual "causes". He clearly understands that all of life isn't so anguished, and the film is full of humour and lively camaraderie. These people are genuinely trying to improve their life, even as the violent spiral threatens to consume them all. It's a remarkably affecting portrayal of life on the brink--entertaining, skilful and extremely important.