Beginning almost exactly where an obvious influence, The 400 Blows, ends—with its adolescent protagonist escaping from a juvenile detention center—Trans is a ramshackle but wonderfully kinetic comedy-drama by first-time filmmaker Julian Goldberger. The film stars newcomer Ryan Daugherty as an eccentric delinquent locked up for unknown crimes; when he makes an impromptu escape, he must deal with the stark realities of being a fugitive from justice with nowhere to go. Trans doesn't have much plot or structure, but it does possess a freewheeling, unpredictable energy that's invigorating in its off-the-cuff originality. Sometimes wildly funny (a hallucinatory episode in a supermarket is an inspired highlight), sometimes dreamy and surreal, Trans nicely captures the euphoria and anxiety of being young and desperate with nothing to lose. Goldberger's film also vividly illustrates the solidarity that comes with being poor and without pretensions, as Daugherty relies upon the kindness of similarly desperate strangers who see him not as a fugitive but as a sweet, if misguided, boy who desperately needs help. Daugherty gives an engagingly unaffected performance as the troubled but essentially decent protagonist, a turn that's matched by the rest of Trans' supporting cast. It starts to run out of steam 10 minutes before the end of its brief, 80-minute running time, but Trans is nevertheless a striking and impressive debut from a filmmaker with raw talent and tremendous promise.