In the opening scene Philip (Nick Robinson) is running through the woods as best he can with a leg in plaster and one crutch to lean on, panicked and scared, trying to escape an unseen pursuer.
Cut to two days earlier and Philip is lying on the couch, mum Charlene (Amy Ryan) elsewhere in the house, when Melissa (Margaret Qualley) knocks on the door. She's heavily pregnant, and has come to tell them that the father is Ronnie, Philip's older brother. But he's been dead for 5 years.
Melissa is virulently dismissive of the claim, but her son remains open minded, intrigued even, and sets out to find out more about the facts behind this strange story. His investigations, at times verging into supernatural territory, are intertwined with flashbacks to the events surrounding Ronnie's death, and the return of father Richard (Greg Kinnear) from his home in Florida. The pregnant woman lives alone, looked out for by elderly neighbours Gail (Blythe Danner) and Bill (Brian Cox), and their remote houses are set deep in the woods...
The first part of the movie, as Philip's investigations turn up family secrets, is an exploration of grief and loss and their impact on the fragility of human relationships. But the tension of that opening scene is always in the background. When the (very dark) plot twist arrives, and we find out why Philip is on the run, the drama speeds up, the tension increases, but the resolution does stretch credulity a bit far. That's partly compensated for by a closing scene that raises more questions than it answers. There are some truths people prefer not to know.
Tremendous performances and tight editing carry this one off, and it's and enjoyable and occasionally thought provoking watch. Recommended.
No comments:
Post a Comment