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Havoc 2: Normal Adolescent Behavior

Starring: Amber Tamblyn, Ashton Holmes, Kelli Garner, Hilarie Burton, Ricky Ullman, Stephen Colletti, Daryl Sabara , Julia Garro
Written & Directed By: Beth Schacter

"Havoc 2: Normal Adolescent Behavior" really isn’t a sequel. It’s a unique and enthralling movie all on its own and doesn’t share the plot or even the themes from the first film. If you really wanted to make a connection between the two films, I suppose you could argue that they both feature beautiful, young people who engage in risky sexual encounters. This is a stretch though and in the original "Havoc," this was more of things escalating out of control where here, it is completely willingly and a lifestyle that is embraced by the characters. "Normal Adolescent Behavior" is Beth Schacter’s directorial debut, which is really astounding as her first effort has such daring and engaging exploration and understanding of the unconventional.

Wendy, played by Tamblyn, has 5 best friends who have all been inseparable since elementary school. They do everything together including group sex in unique ways. Their clique is separated from the rest of their school as they are pinned outcasts by everyone else due to their unaccepted habits. They in turn look down on those who aren’t in their group. They don’t see it in the unnatural way that everyone else seems to but see it as never needing to find a date or worry about dependability or why someone may be interested in them. They have known each other their whole lives and know how they all feel about each other. They love each other and act on that love. However, as this is their senior year of high school and many of them will likely be going in different directions to colleges across the country, this group might get broken up before long.

The bond in their group is even more directly threatened when Wendy’s new next-door neighbor, Sean, played by Holmes, takes a liking to her. He spends time with her younger brother and ends up being around her house more and more. Wendy tries to resist getting involved with him, but they end up falling for one another. When Wendy’s best friend, the strong and possessive, Billie, played by Garner, finds out about her love affair, she does whatever it takes to get her to drop Sean to remain loyal to the group. Billie will clearly stop at nothing to do this even if it means turning on Wendy in the process. Sean stands up for Wendy when others look down on her and seems to be sweet and possibly someone that she could fall in love with. However, he becomes increasingly less okay with Wendy’s sex buddies and not only demands that she drops her friends and never talks to them again, but also burn a box containing memories of them. Meanwhile, Billie is battling just as hard to bring her back in to their circle.

The performances were absolutely astounding here. As what seemed like an unnecessary sequel of an only decent movie, I really wasn’t particularly drawn to the film. I let it pass me by for quite some time until I decided to check it out because of the very talented Amber Tamblyn. I found a film that exceeded my expectations and was much fresher than I could have imagined. Tamblyn didn’t disappoint in her performance either. It’s amazing how no matter what the role, and she usually manages to find roles of characters that are significantly unique from each other. She always displays this highly relatable quality. It really doesn’t seem like I should be able to relate to this character but she gives off this unique and thrilling energy. You can’t help but respect her individuality and independence. She gives us a fascinating character, but she also brings this persona down to make her audience truly understand it. Ashton Holmes gave quite a performance as well, really working off of Tamblyn, definitely keeping up with her energy here. He goes from this sweet and caring boy-next-door to this controlling and underhanded boyfriend, turning Wendy’s entire world upside down and putting her in a compromising position.

Kelli Garner gave a powerful performance as the manipulative leader of the group, Billie. She really showed the drastic oppositions in her character’s personality, she was either your best friend who would live and die for you or your worst enemy that would make your life a living hell; she even reaches both of these levels at the same time. She really showed a desperation for this friendship, to hold on and preserve what felt safe and comfortable to her. The more she felt that slipping away, the more viciously she fought to hold on to it. Hilarie Burton also did well as Ryan, an ex-best friend and member of this group. She is tormented by her former best friends for not wanting to be confined to the group any longer. She represents what Wendy could be, free from the tight grip of the circle, while still having a life with people that care about her. Ricky Ullman of Disney Channel’s "Phil of the Future" and the psychological horror film, "Driftwood" and Stephen Colletti of "Laguna Beach" and "One Tree Hill" fame are both very intriguing as two of the male members of the tight knit group in the film. They show a certain level of humanity and play them very realistically while representing a counterculture.

Beth Schacter is wise enough not to pick sides in the battle over Wendy. The group sex and the relationship that they all have with each other is given understanding, displayed just as an alternate and at times, easier and possibly even more meaningful approach to sex. She shows it in the friends’ perspective, but she also acknowledge that it is out of the norm and possibly not completely healthy.

Nearly every character outside of these 5 show an opposition to it. Yet the person who most strongly opposes it, Sean, later develops and in his relationship with Wendy proves their philosophy that typical relationships are far more complex, messy, and compromising than the relationship that they have. Billie, who most directly represents the group, is portrayed both as a villain and a bond of friendship that can’t be broken. Sean as well starts off as seeming like a perfect guy, worth having a loyal and meaningful relationship with and then becomes so controlling and degrading to Wendy. Both sides have their sunny as well as dark sides. Schacter simply presents both sides to us, showing us alternative lifestyles in teenage love and sexuality.

"Havoc 2: Normal Adolescent Behavior" is a strange film, but it is an extremely engaging, individualistic, and thoughtful one at that. The situation seems bizarre but it is given so much reflection and uses this to pin the ordinary against the abnormal, questioning peoples’ dire need to keep those around them close.

Written by: Kelsey Zukowski

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