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Kerslake gives a wonderfully earnest performance as a young women who slowly begins to slide into madness, even if there's never a doubt that her paranoia is justified. She spends much of the movie on her own, so doesn't get much chance to build chemistry with other characters. That said, she has superb early scenes with the terrific Markey, although there's not much he can do with the glowery Bad Chris. And apart from Outinen's full-on physicality, none of the side characters really register.

The film is so finely crafted that it's a little frustrating that it has so little subtext. The premise about a frazzled single mother starting afresh in a home that hides a secret menace isn't very original. Nor is the woodland mythology that drives the film's horror momentum. But it looks so good that it holds the attention, which helps Cronin as he adds several intensely nasty little set-pieces along the way. The finale may be a bit of a let-down, but getting there has its moments.

themes, language, violence

14.Jan.19

Hill is seriously powerful as a teen girl forced to become a responsible woman far too early. She reveals Sarah's emotions under fierce bravado, facing her situation with tenacity and invention. The way she flirts with danger is downright shocking, but it's impossible not to root for Sarah even in the riskiest things she does. Meanwhile, the people around her are earthy and real, and they add surprising angles.

Gardner directs in an up-close way, never letting the camera travel far from Sarah. There are several darkly difficult scenes, thankfully shot with sensitivity and restraint. And the film pulls us into Sarah's perspective in a powerful way, letting us feel her emotions in ways that are often wrenching. The issue is that Sarah will never figure out who she is if she has to be her family's lifeline. Will she ever be able to pursue this new passion? Where the story goes is intense, but it's so skilfully resonant that it can't help but get under the skin.

themes, language, violence, sexuality

8.Jan.19

A revamp of Cyrano de Bergerac, this quirky British boarding school comedy-drama is often too goofy for its own good, undermining the characters with slapstick and general idiocy. But it's also bold and inventive, and generally engaging as it follows a nerdy kid on a journey of discovery. Director Toby MacDonald certainly has an eye for the oddities of English culture.

All three leads are solid, adding depth to their roles to add texture and meaning. Lawther visibly grows up over the course of the story, transforming from a weedy, wet noodle into a focussed young man. Hauer-King underscores Winch's bravado with an honest fragility. And Etienne gives Agnes a feisty inner life as she realises she can't spend her life caring for her needy single dad. Other actors kind of fade into the crowd of bullies, but a few seize the chance to chew the scenery.

As it goes along, the film's more intelligent touches outweigh its simplistic antics, offering a nice wave of both nostalgia and youthful empowerment, as well as some knowing pastiche of posh England, which is already absurd enough, and not nearly as harmless as this film suggests. And while the screenwriters never quite figure out something new to do with the material, the film is at least packed with solidly written and played moments that encourage the audience to laugh at how serious everything seems when we're teens.

themes, language, violence

22.Jan.19