A magnetic lead performance is almost enough to keep the indie quirk in co-writer/director Max Winkler’s feature from going off the rails. Zoey Deutch plays Erica Vandross, a 17-year-old California high school student with a volatile personality and a penchant for blackmailing older guys after filming them getting oral sex from her. Into the life of Erica and her single mother (Kathryn Hahn) comes Luke (Joey Morgan), the troubled teenage son of Erica’s soon-to-be stepfather, who once accused a teacher (Adam Scott) of molesting him. The plot ultimately gets way too complicated, undermining the weird dynamic between Erica and her mother—the absence of tough parenting represented by mom calling Erica “Mama”—and Erica’s obvious unhealthy attachment to her absentee imprisoned father. But despite all the conspicuous edginess—Girls gone wild! Pseudo-incest! Jokes about pederasty!—Deutch brings the punch to a girl who could have been a cliché of acting out. Morgan’s more restrained performance provides necessary counterpoint, but it’s always compelling to watch a young actor show the screen presence needed to carry a less-than-stellar script. By Scott Renshaw