1996) -- directed and produced by Kari Skogland -- Little Theatre, Hamilton.

*** For her exhilarating feature-length debut, Kari Skogland, one of Canada's leading commercial directors, has created and populated an energetic and engaging Generation X demi-monde which expertly captures what it means to be young and without direction.

Working with a witty and acerbic script by Rob Stefaniuk, Skogland demonstrates great confidence and an impeccable sense of timing let down only by a suddenly rushed conclusion to what is otherwise a well-paced and hugely entertaining film.

In the post-ironic present of Venice, California, the movie pastes us into the life and times of Alex (Paul Rudd), child of hippies, now early in his 20s.

Alex and his wacky friends revel in their absurdity, "soldiers,'' by his own confession, "in an army of outcasts''.

Needing direction, Alex vows to take up direction, movie direction, and sets about making a black-and-white movie about his friend Gnome, a drunk running for President on the "Free Hawaii Now'' ticket, played with great passion by Donal Logue.

The desire for action awakens everyone, and although the movie within the movie suffers from the slings and arrows of outrageous ill-fortune, the mere doing of it is enough to revitalise Alex, and to find him Maggie, a girlfriend and mentor, played with a light touch by Ione Skye.

Ms Skye's brother, Donovan Leitch (their father is 60s bard Donovan) plays a wanna-be rock star, Patrick, the ice to Gnome's fire, rounding out the ensemble around whose lives `The Size of Watermelons' revolves.

The characterisations, plot, lighting and direction are all first-class. It could be argued that slightly more judicious editing in the penultimate quarter of an hour might have helped, but this is a small quibble with an otherwise outstanding effort.

Alienated youth is another topic of more than passing interest to Bermuda, although this film failed to attract a very large audience, more's the pity.

It would not have attracted those who might most have benefitted from the simple formula Alex discovers to overcome his inertia, a modification of the Nike anthem for the 1990s: just do something.

Ms Skogland has done something. She has delivered a sure-handed debut, and we should expect to hear a very great deal more from her.

Outstanding.

ROGER CROMBIE The Size of Watermelons is showing at the Liberty Theatre on Wednesday at 9.15 p.m.

FILM FESTIVAL MPC REVIEW REV