Details
Movie Description
Brad (Sam Rockwell) and Abby Cairn (Vera Farmiga) seem to have it all. A successful Manhattan couple living in a plush uptown apartment, they have just welcomed their second child into the family--a lovely little girl named Lily. Everything should be golden for the happy family, but their little boy--the nine-year-old Joshua (Jacob Kogan)--is less than pleased with the latest addition to the family. An intelligent but odd little boy, Joshua's lack of humor and preoccupation with death belie his tender age, and as the parents coo over Lily, it becomes clear that they are not quite sure what to make of their stone-faced son. When Lily suddenly turns from a quiet baby into one who mysteriously begins wailing day and night, the Cairns' ordered life quickly disintegrates. The lack of sleep and stress takes a heavy toll on the mentally fragile Abby, and Brad begins racing around the city trying to care for his newborn daughter, ailing wife, and emotionally disturbed son. The family stress mounts, and when small animals and the family dog turn up dead, it doesn't take long before fingers begin pointing at the brooding and bizarre Joshua.
Vera Farmiga delivers a realistic and disturbing performance as someone tottering at the edge of emotional collapse, and Sam Rockwell is a true pleasure to watch in his turn as a father desperately trying to hold his life together. Using a slow, teasing pace and claustrophobic camera angles, the film strives for a Hitchockian level of suspense while also delivering many topnotch performances.
Industry Reviews
"The film's moodiness is unsettling, and the acting, particularly Rockwell's, is strong."
USA Today - Claudia Puig (07/06/2007)
"[I]t's Sam Rockwell's spectacular turn as the harried paterfamilias that simultaneously binds the film and pushes its boundaries....His grip on the character never falters."
New York Times - Jeannette Catsoulis (07/06/2007)
"[A] stinging satirical thriller: a tale of family bonds in the age of high technology, status fever, and other spurs to contemporary social detachment....It has cool and savvy fun with your fears." -- Grade: B+
Entertainment Weekly - Owen Gleiberman (07/20/2007)
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