As the writer, producer, director and star of the independent drama Iowa, Matt Farnsworth's ambition is undeniable.

So, for the most part, is his inexperience. Iowa is too uneven to really work, but it has moments of vivid expression that indicate a burgeoning talent.

After the death of his father, Esper Harte (Farnsworth) and his girlfriend, Donna (Farnworth's real-life wife, Diane Foster), decide - rather impetuously and unwisely - to pick up where Dad left off, manufacturing and distributing methamphetamine.

But, like dear old Dad, Esper and Donna also have a tendency to indulge in the product - the first of many bad decisions made by Esper and Donna, who aren't particularly careful about the illicit and destructive nature of their "venture."

If that weren't enough, Esper must also contend with a slatternly mother (Rosanna Arquette) and her sleazy boyfriend (Michael T. Weiss), a corrupt probation officer whom she allows to blackmail her son. (The specific reason why is one of many unanswered questions in Farnsworth's script.)

The characters in Iowa aren't particularly smart and they're not particularly likable, a lethal combination that would ruin a lesser film and does significant damage to this one.

In addition, too much of the plot is left unresolved. Some characters are introduced out of nowhere, and others vanish inexplicably from the narrative for long stretches, if not altogether.

Characters leave weapons within easy reach of their adversaries, and evidently there's only one way out of town.

Although Muse Watson is given prominent billing as the town's sheriff, he's nowhere to be found amid the illegal goings-on.

Filmed in Centerville, Iowa, the film has a deceptively bucolic look to it, Andrew Parke's cinematography being one of the film's few consistent attributes.

The more hysterical the film's tone - as in hysteria and not hysterically funny - the more effective it is.

The film's most arresting and effective segments are those depicting the hallucinatory effects of narcotics upon the user.

It's clear that Farnsworth is attempting to fashion a middle-America version of Darren Aronofsky's Requiem for a Dream (2000) or, perhaps, an "Americanized" Trainspotting (1996).

It's a laudable aspiration and earnestly attempted, but for all its good intentions the film struggles to come to life.

Ultimately, it all boils down to that age-old adage - crime does not pay. In Iowa, it doesn't play, either.

© 2006 Winston-Salem Journal.