Exhibit A - Movie Review

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This inventive low-budget British film applies the hand-held genre to a comedy-drama about a happy family with a very dark side. It's much more inventive and engaging than most of these films, despite the requisite descent into tragedy.

In Blair Witch style, the police found this videotape in the daughter's camera after some sort of incident. It's like a stream-of-consciousness diary by the teenager Judith (Ashworth), featuring her lively parents (Cole and Forrest) and bratty brother Joe (Lee). Judith is clearly unhappy that her dad's new promotion means they'll be moving, perhaps because she has a secret crush on her neighbour Claire (Dutton). So does Joe. But the real problem is that Dad seems to be losing his grip on reality.

The camerawork feels authentic, like it's been done by normal people who have never heard of a tripod and are blissfully unaware of the stop button. So it's rather like watching someone's annoying holiday video that seems to go on forever. But as it continues, filmmaker Rotheroe starts developing a plot by dropping in telling snippets of dialog. It also helps that the characters are extremely well developed, from Dad's jokester antics to Mom's short fuse.

As things start getting messy, each person's temper flares, turning into desperation as they try to look happy and normal. Judith spies on several scenes that hint at very big problems, capturing some seriously nasty altercations and meltdowns with her camera. The performances are raw and realistic, with Cole delivering a particularly unnerving performance as a natural comic who gives in to the dark side as he tries to hold on to his dignity.

This is a chilling domestic drama about the pressures of modern-day suburbia, made in 2006 but prescient in its vivid depiction of financial anxiety. That said, it's also somewhat contrived that someone remembers to keep the video camera running even in the most harrowing moments of their lives. In the final act, things drift over the top, uncovering the family's secrets and building to a hideous confrontation that lives up to the promise of the premise. It's effectively harsh and twisted, and Rotheroe manages to make us think even while he's freaking us out.

Facts and Figures

Year: 2009

Genre: Horror/Suspense

In Theaters: Tuesday 16th March 2010

Reviews

Contactmusic.com: 3.5 / 5

IMDB: 6.1 / 10

Cast & Crew

Director: Dom Rotheroe

Producer: Darren Bender

Screenwriter: Dom Rotheroe

Starring: Bradley Cole as Andy King, Oliver Lee as Joe King