Reviews

The film is not without its effective set pieces and suspenseful moments, but sustaining that suspense with the building threat of seeing two children commit suicide just makes the entire film seem cheap and exploitative. Rather than embrace the tawdry 'B-movie' shocks bubbling beneath the surface, the director and cast instead insist on treating the material like they're in a prestige pic while never finding the emotional heart, psychological depth, or cultural significance of its central premise. Because of this jarring disconnect between tone and material, the film fails to work as a literary art film or as a genre thriller.