Despite a few moments where it crossed over into Bugsy Malone type awareness of the fact that these are teenagers in high school, this film really pulled it off. It wasn’t a superficial stylistic thing with dark shadows. It captured not only the overwrought verbal onslaught of noir but also the confusion, the total annihlation of trust, and the uncertainty of public and private spaces. Perhaps a bit of an exercise, but it worked, especially the last two thirds.