This twisty and twisted thriller has a supernatural bent… or does it? Psychiatrist David Callaway (Robert DeNiro, RAGING BULL) moves with his young daughter Emily (Dakota Fanning, 2005’s WAR OF THE WORLDS) to the country after she witnesses her mother Alison (Amy Irving, TRAFFIC) commit suicide. Emily has become very sullen and David consults with his colleague Katherine (Famke Janssen, X-MEN) about what to do. Emily has a mean reaction to a neighbor Elizabeth (Elisabeth Shue, LEAVING LAS VEGAS) when it seems David is getting romantically involved with her.
Things start to get creepier when Emily starts talking about her new imaginary friend Charlie. And Charlie sure doesn’t like David. Other characters thrown into the mix to muddy the water include strange Sheriff Hafferty (Dylan Baker, HAPPINESS), creepy next-door neighbors Laura (Melissa Leo, 21 GRAMS) and Steven (Robert John Burke, COP LAND) and sketchy realtor Mr. Haskins (David Chandler, THE GREY ZONE). With so many shady people living in one small town, you’d think you’d want to move back to the city.
The set-up for this film is very good, but the twist disappoints. The film goes into fascinating directions with a lot of dramatic potential, but it throws in a twist that undermines any deeper meaning. Director John Polson creates nice tension throughout the film without relying on too many “boo” moments for cheep scares. However, the twist comes at a time when there is too much left in the film, so the ending seems to drag. Twists are really hard to pull off. They work for some people, but not for others sometimes. What’s crucial for a twist to work is that it has to make the material deeper; this film does the opposite.
As an entertaining thrill ride, the film works on some levels. Thriller fans will find nice elements here. Others looking for recent thrillers with meaningful twists should check out THE MACHINIST instead.
Rick DeMott
Animation World Network
Creator of Rick's Flicks Picks
