Young Man With Camera

A picture is worth a thousand words — and with a unique photographic format, startlingly original voice, and provocative portrayal of bullying, Young Man With Camera is a debut to get people talking.

T— is used to getting grief. Grief from his mother, who worries about him constantly; grief from Mr. Lam, who runs the corner store and suspects every kid of stealing; grief from the trio of bullies he calls Joined at the Hip, whose cruelty has left T— so battered he fears even his whole name could be used against him.

But T— has his own strength too: his camera, which he uses to capture the unique way he sees the world. His photos connect him to Ms. Karamath, the kind librarian at school; his friend Sean, whose passion for mysteries is matched only by his love for his dog, Watson; and most of all to Lucy, a homeless woman who shares his admiration for the photographer Diane Arbus. When Lucy is attacked by Joined at the Hip, T— captures the assault on film. But those images lead him into even deeper trouble with the bullies, who threaten to hurt Sean if T— tells.

What’s the right thing to do? Do pictures ever tell the whole truth? And what if the truth isn’t always the right answer?