Kristen Stewart as Georgia Kaminski, the afflicted teenager in a rural area, manages to earn our sympathy but not in a maudlin way. Stewart conveys the inner strength of Georgia, who struggles daily but has a mind of her own and wants to do as much as she can for herself in the face of a very protective mother (Talia Balsam). Aaron Stanford as Beagle, a young man who works in the cafeteria in the high school Georgia attends, develops a liking for her, but is reticent to press too hard, given her fragility. It is Georgia who plays the seductress. She wants to experience sex, and is brazen about it, becoming annoyed at his hesitation.

There is much delicacy and possibility of disappointment in the situation. Both Stewart and Stanford succeed admirably in portraying the couple and the circumstances.

The screenplay is not content to concentrate solely on them. There is an adult situation simmering as well. Bruce Dern as Beagle’s widower father, Easy Kimbrough, has been carrying on a secret relationship with Georgia’s feisty grandmother Marge, played colorfully by Elizabeth Ashley. The film also deals with the residue of Easy’s loss and his relationship with Beagle and his older brother Guy, who has been away for years.