A great film that is all the things that you say above. Most definitely one of my favorites. I can tell you that the story is not meant to be an opium induced dream. If you liked the film that much than I strongly suggest that you read the book that the film is based on called THE HOODS. Reading the book will give you such a deeper understanding and even more of an appreciation of the film.

Here is a LINK to the topic that discusses the book called THE HOODS