With its bleak context, “King of the Hill” is more mature than most movies that star child actors; but once the film gets going, you’ll realize that it’s more mature than most movies, period. What’s most impressive is that the movie doesn’t use the conventional expressions of depression to convey how sad the situation is. Instead, it relies on a story that peppers the depressing bits here and there.

The Great Depression setting helps the tone immensely, and the authenticity shines through most of the script’s quirks. The plot is conventional: An imaginative boy, Lester (Jesse Bradford), with a penchant for lying wants to make whatever money he can to save his family from immense debt. It’s charming to watch him scramble around in search of cash; his lies take on a life of their own, even though he only lies to save the last shreds of dignity the depression hasn’t already snatched away. But there’s always an underbelly that is almost never dealt with, that character and filmmaker must have noticed. It’s depressing in every way, which makes some of the more lighthearted moments feel out of place instead of relieving.

The large cast of child actors doesn’t always hit the right notes, but they get the job done. Bradford does justice to A.E. Hotchner’s screen-self, Aaron Kurlander, by at least looking level-headed in even the most adverse situations, and while a young Adrien Brody isn’t a major player, he is wonderfully slick in the role of Lester.

“King of the Hill” is an adaptation of St. Louisan Hotchner’s memoir, and the best part about seeing this one at SLIFF may be the panel on book-to-film translations that accompanies the screening. You’ll get the opinions of travelled cinematographer Elliot Davis, casting director Carrie Houk and Wash. U. professor Henry Schvey on the panel, and I honestly think the diversity in the panel members’ opinions and backgrounds could turn out to be more interesting than the differences between text and screen.