Director Macon Blair says his new comedy “Idiots” builds its humour around a deliberately cruel and dangerous teenage antagonist, overturning expectations that he will be redeemed. The film follows two inept drivers transporting troubled youths to rehabilitation, only to discover their first passenger is a threat who must be stopped, creating a mix of broad comedy and darker tension.

Released in cinemas on Friday by Independent Film Company, the road-trip film stars O’Shea Jackson Jr., Dave Franco and Mason Thames, with Nicholas Braun, Peter Dinklage and Kiernan Shipka also appearing. Blair said abrupt shifts between gross-out jokes and sinister scenes were designed to make audiences uneasy, while time pressures on the independent production pushed him and cinematographer Guillermo Garza towards more concise, visually specific filming choices.