From left, Ashley Springer, Emmy Rossum and Zach Gilford

Dare, a movie focused on the coming of age stories of three students in their senior year of high school, seems like a familiar teen movie on the surface. However, it offers much more than that in the end. This Sundance film tactfully weaves together three narratives, one for each of the three main characters of the film. Alexa (Emmy Rossum, Phantom of the Opera) is the smart, good girl who longs to break out of her shell; Ben (Ashley Springer, Teeth) is Alexa’s lonely best friend dealing with his sexuality; and Johnny (Zach Gilford, Friday Night Lights) is the rich, seemingly perfect bad-boy who has everything.

The film begins with Alexa’s story. As a member of the drama club, she’s trying to get her role in a play down perfectly. When Grant Mason (Alan Cumming), an alumnus of the high school and successful actor comes to town, Alexa decides to seek his advice. He tells her that in order to be a great actress, she needs to take risks and do things she wouldn't normally do--advice that Alexa decides to heed. Her geeky sweaters give way to designer outfits, followed by the befriending and seduction of Johnny. This does not sit well with Ben, however, who finds his best and only friend quickly becoming a different person.

Ben is gay, but hasn’t told anyone. His search for acceptance and self-understanding leads to a sexual encounter with Johnny, an event that creates a whole new dimension of problems and tensions.

While Johnny has the whole school believing in his cool kid image, the truth is that he is actually more lonely and lost than both Ben and Alexa. He has trouble connecting with people. The most powerful scenes of the film are devoted to exploring this secret. This loneliness is what leads him to accept both Alexa and Ben’s affections—for the first time, there are people of real substance who are interested in him.

Dare is a fascinating movie because it portrays teenagers with true depth, recognizing that almost nothing is as simple as it seems on the surface. Most movies covering the daily lives of high school students build off the existing stereotypes—ones that real teenagers know do not accurately describe real life in high school. The characters in Dare certainly start off as high school movie clichés: the good girl, the bad-boy/jock and the lonely kid. However, the theme of the movie is how these clichés turn out to be misguided stereotypes once we, the viewers, find out what they’re really like.

Though Dare is a much more serious movie than I originally expected, the heavy moments are balanced by the hilarious, awkward teen moments that lighten up the mood. Though both Rossum and Springer’s performances are solid, Zach Gilford’s powerful portrayal as Johnny is extremely thought provoking, reminding us to rethink the stereotypes that so often characterize high school. I highly recommend Dare—it is a movie that will certainly stick with you long after it’s over.

Danny Wein is 18 and is from Highland Park, Ill. He loves politics, traveling, hanging out with his friends, going to the movies and being active. He's also a member of the JVibe Teen Advisory Board.