Tear Jerker / Mean Creek

• George finding out about the prank. Made sadder by the fact that he has shown himself to be Not Evil, Just Misunderstood, and actually thought that the others genuinely wanted to be friends with him.
  • Which of course leads to his death.
  • During George's profanity laden tirade, all the kids are clearly very sad, scared and uncomfortable. The camera then zooms in so you can actually see Millie break down in tears.
• The ending with the kids going to talk to George's mother conveys an extraordinary sadness without anyone saying a word.
• Marty, on the run and clearly terrified of going to jail, begins down a dark path of even more criminal behavior including robbery in his attempt to escape the town. The last we see of him is his breakdown during an armed robbery.
• The final scene of the film is a video recording of George the morning of the ill-fated trip. He explains that he sees the world differently and he hopes that one day he can show other people what his world is like.