Alligator (2006)

Sharp and shifty, Lisa Moore's superb Alligator begins with teen ecoterrorist Colleen Clark watching a film by her aunt Madeleine, a frail-hearted director, then adds a cast including depressed actress Isobel, hot-dog vendor Frank, and Frank's vicious bully of a neighbor, Valentin. While the number of seemingly disparate plots is initially confusing, paths cross in unexpected, satisfying ways — Madeleine hires Isobel, Isobel dates Valentin, Frank sleeps with Colleen — that give the characters depth. Although Moore piles on the grief-filled pasts, enough inner-demon slaying eventually occurs for a round of believably uplifting endings.