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Written, produced, edited and directed by twenty-something Cam Archer, Wild Tigers I Have Known is a woozily fragmented portrait of queer teenage desire. 13-year-old Logan (Malcolm Stumpf) is the day-dreaming loner, who lives with his single mother (Fairuza Balk) and who becomes fixated on a hunky older pupil Rodeo (Patrick White). Mood is far more important than plot here, but the film's experimental visual style leaves us emotionally distanced from the characters.

The wild tigers of the title turn out to be mountain lions, who've started straying into the area surrounding Logan's school in Santa Cruz, California. The significance of these mysterious beasts is metaphorical, symbolising the powerful sexual desires gripping our pubescent protagonist. Verbally and physically bullied by his schoolmates, the androgynously beautiful Logan is smitten with fellow outsider Rodeo. Afraid to confess to his true feelings, the skinny youngster dons a blonde wig and make-up and adopts the name of Leah in his bid to seduce the man of his dreams.

"NOT WITHOUT ITS CLICH脡D MOMENTS"

Shooting on digital video, Archer throws everything into the stylistic mix - (dissolves, coloured filters, unsynced sound) to express Logan's confused identity. Yet for all its visual pretensions, the film is not without its clich茅d moments, such as Logan spilling a creamy dip all over his trousers and overdoing the mopping up process. The overall feeling remains that Wild Tigers I Have Known is better suited to being shown as a gallery installation rather than playing at a cinema.

Wild Tigers I Have Known is released in UK cinemas on Friday 25th May 2007.