Nick Powell (Justin Chatwin) is a smart, well-liked high school senior on the cusp of graduation. But all is not as good as it seems with this kid’s seemingly charmed life, his beloved father’s death casting a pall upon the kid’s relationship with his mom Diane (Marcia Gay Harden). She is a cold, business-oriented woman who cannot see her son’s talents as a budding writer, the two arguing furiously about the son going to England for a fellowship to pursue his dreams.

To make matters worse, Nick’s best friend Pete (Chris Marquette) is being bullied by the school’s main delinquent Annie Newton (Margarita Levieva) and her pair of goons. It all has something to do with a black market cell phone, Nick’s interference putting him squarely on the bully’s bad side.

Annie’s nasty demeanor is belied by her turbulent domestic life. Her father Jack (Mark Houghton) is a washed out cop (now a rent-a-cop) who has shacked up with a worthless skank after the death of their beloved mother. She tries to look out for her younger brother Victor (Victor Newton), but her criminal mind is pushed to its limits by ex-con lover Marcus (Alex O’Loughlin) after he stashes some hot items in their garage.

One night out on a routine car theft Annie decides to up the ante with a smash-and-grab at a ritzy jewelry shop. When she pisses Marcus off the next day he drops the dime on her causing her arrest (and humiliation) at school. Thinking it was Nick and Pete cooking up revenge she decides to settle the score by beating Nick up after he imbibes at a party. Accidentally knocking Nick cold in the backwoods, Annie and her gang leave him for dead in a drainage valve.

The next morning Nick returns to school only to discover no one seems to acknowledge his presence and realizes he must be dead. Confirming his worst fears he backtracks to his home where his anguished mother and the police are trying to find him. Nick finds he is virtually ‘invisible’ to all around him, soon discovering to his horror he is not dead but in a limbo state with only a few precious hours left to find his body if he wants to remain alive.

Based on a Swedish novel by Mats Wahl (and the film Den Osynlige, but I’m not familiar with either), the smart and crafty screenplay by Mick Davis and Christine Roum wisely uses the metaphor of transparency for teenage life to parallel both the in-between worlds Nick and the lost-in-the-social-cracks Annie. Neither is being seen both literally and allegorically for who they really are. The film features exceptional performances by Chatwin (best known as Tom Cruise’s rebellious son in War of the Worlds) and newcomer Levieva (who resembles Erika Christensen), both making their characters well-rounded teenagers and not clichéd stereotypes.

Directed by veteran screenwriter David S. Goyer (Blade: Trinity), the film mixes drama and tension perfectly, time ticking tensely for Nick to get back to life and for Annie to recognize her moment to do something truly meaningful. The universal theme of teenage angst and rebellion rings true even if it is set in a supernatural setting, life not meaningless no matter what the circumstance making The Invisible a suspenseful thriller perfect for the MySpace generation.

Film Rating: êêê  (out of 4)