The film does a terrific job of replicating the rave scene adjacent to the cultural kerfuffle of Cool Britannia.

The script may be a bleaker take on a tale we've seen so many times before, but their trembling steps toward adulthood hit the right rhythm.

If "Beats" slows down on its way to the rave, it makes up for that and then some when it finally gets there.

The characters are written so well around one another that each moment of tension feels hostile, each moment of vulnerability feels sincere, and each moment of banter is hilarious.