While the world probably needs another film about coming of age in the American suburbs about as much as it needs another film about a hard-boiled cop who plays by his own rules, Lawn Dogs—an unusual, uncompromising, and winning film from Australian director John Duigan (Sirens, The Leading Man, The Year My Voice Broke)—is in a class of its own. Mischa Barton, in a remarkably mature performance, plays a 10-year-old girl with a heart condition who lives unhappily in an unforgiving gated community. Venturing outside the walls against her parents' orders, she befriends Sam Rockwell (as good here as in last year's Box Of Moonlight), who lives in a trailer and makes a living caring for others' lawns. While the false veneer of suburbia has been lifted in countless movies, Lawn Dogs is beholden to none of them. It nicely combines the story of Barton's assertion of independence with a look at the often-oppressive relationship between the working and ruling classes. Both Duigan's outsider's eye and the perceptive, sympathetic approach to childhood seen in his other films work well here, as does first-time screenwriter Naomi Wallace's fable-like script. In a climate in which films are too often congratulated simply for not being run-of-the-mill, Lawn Dogs stands out as a movie that takes big chances by unblinkingly and humanely addressing a number of typically glossed-over subjects. Its unpredictable plot sometimes leads it through a few too many mood changes, but by the time its unexpectedly tense climax arrives, it has come together as an unforgettable film.