Who knew there was an art to it?

"There are 6.8 billion people on the planet, 60 million die every day..." begins The Art Of Getting By, Gavin Wiesen's coming-of-age debut as writer/director. Our bleak narrator is George, a school senior who has coasted along, doing the bare minimum; Believing the depressing philosophy "We live alone, we die alone - everything else is just an illusion", George sees little point in doing homework when there are better things to do with his time.

As graduation approaches, the staff at Morgan School are no longer willing to turn a blind eye and George's concerned mum offers him a tutor. It's only when he accidentally meets Sally (Emma Roberts) smoking on the school roof that George realizes there is something to live for. With three weeks to do one year's worth of assignments in order to graduate with a diploma, apathetic George must dig deep inside to find an "honest and fearless" final art piece.

A self-described "misanthrope", George can be likened to J.D.Salinger's Holden Caulfield but brought to life more sympathetically by multiple-award nominated Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland, Charlie And The Chocolate Factory). George is a bright and quick-witted talented artist, charming the adults in his life into letting him refer to them by their first names. He is satisfied "just getting by" and in addition to ignoring homework tasks, occasionally cuts class to his own set of rules: "cut rarely to preserve the specialness". Wiesen has George speaking like a member of the Dawson's Creek cast which at times is in perfect keeping with George's understated intelligence ("If you speak even the most rudimentary form of the English language, you'll understand this - get out!") but also occasionally feels a little forced and too adult for his lead.

Surrounding George are equally dysfunctional but lovable characters, including a strange cameo from a disheveled Alicia Silverstone as George's English teacher, Ms. Herman. Ex-art student, Dustin (Michael Angarano), gives an amusing presentation, describing his art as "bullshit" to a room full of pupils. Straight-talking art teacher, Harris (Jarlath Conroy), doesn't mince his words either, asking George: "Are you sketching your subject, you little shit?" Sally's mum (Elizabeth Reaser) is an equally warped role model, seen at her flat at the end of school waving goodbye to gentleman callers in little more than a dressing gown and offering George boozy cocktails.

Although Wiesen's script feels a little contrived at times, there are plenty of moments that ring true as George navigates his way through previously unexplored feelings of love. The Christmas club outing where George awkwardly dances, revelations of family financial problems and an awkward meal with the hypothetical "have you ever" conversation all stand-out as realistic representations of youth, not to mention George's determination to listen to the same song all night on repeat.

In admitting "I have no idea what I'm doing here", George is instantly relatable to all of us, who whether exploring the bigger picture or suffering from momentary lapses of identity, can empathize with these feelings. Exploring the age-old dilemma of whether "just friends" is possible, The Art Of Getting By is an enjoyable indie flick with suggestions of promising things to come from Wiesen.

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