Your Friends & Neighbors (1998)

Writer/Director: Neil LaBute

Stars: Jason Patric, Amy Brenneman, Aaron Eckhart, Catherine Keener, Nastassja Kinski, Ben Stiller

This film follows the interrelations of six "friends" as they grope for self-fulfillment, usually at each other's expense.

 

This is a grim, often ugly exploration of selfishness, featuring characters that somehow never developed the sense of empathy or generosity that enables one human being to connect with another on more than a superficial level. 

They equate being happy with being in a position of power over others wherein they can gratify their urges of the moment.

 

When their behavior fails to make them happy, they become more jaded and sad and convinced that happiness is only a fantasy.

 

A possible exception is the chilling sociopath played by Jason Patric, who appears to be entirely satisfied with his reprehensible conduct. 

In a cast of dislikable characters, he emerges as one of the most loathsome figures I have ever seen in a film. 

Perhaps not coincidentally, he is also the alpha among the film's male characters.

 

Director/writer Neil LaBute's dialogue is sharp and telling. This is a serious and courageous exploration of the dark side of human nature.