Bored with life in her tiny Newfoundland town, precocious though extremely naïve 13-year-old Ruby is an unguided missile waiting to explode. There is no one at home to put the brakes on her risky behavior as she finds new ways to get into trouble with boys. Mom’s long gone and her ex-hockey star father Ray is grappling with his own sexuality as the closet he has built around himself begins to splinter under the weight of a new affair.

Shawn Doyle (who plays Bill Henrickson’s brother Joey on Big Love) is ruggedly impressive as the troubled Ray, whose habit of hiding the truth — not just about his sexual orientation but about most aspects of his life — only serves to keep those closest to him at a distance. Writer-director Adriana Maggs and star Tatiana Maslany (who won a Special Jury prize at the 2010 Sundance Film Festival for her performance) flawlessly capture the recklessness and confusion of adolescence.

Maggs makes a memorable feature debut with this character-driven melodrama that is funny, touching and pitch-perfect in its evocation of a contentious father-daughter relationship. More than that, it also portrays a sexy, poignant portrait of the ecstasy, agony and frustration of sexual awakening — whether it happens at 13 or 40. — PAM GRADY