This is one of those Southern Gothic flicks involving family secrets in a small town with characters and events that make your skin crawl, yet you just can't stop watching. About halfway through you'll think you've got it all figured out but one or two of the revelations towards the end will probably take you by surprise.
Ryan Phillippe does an outstanding job, showing that even early in his career he was more than a pretty face, as does Nastassja Kinski, who I guess also shows she was more than a pretty face. (As for John Savage, he can probably phone in this kind of role by now.) One quirky aspect of the script is that various characters will be just about to learn something important when the scene will cut away .. leaving you, the viewer, in the dark. It comes dangerously close to being an annoyance, but the upside is that this allows the final act to spring its surprises all the more effectively.
I appreciated that the ending was more hopeful than I'd expected, partly because I thought I'd figured things out but was proved wrong. Had this been directed by someone like David Lynch it would probably have been a masterpiece. Nonetheless, even if it doesn't rise to that level it is certainly a film that holds your attention and keeps you guessing until the end. More than a "B movie" .. maybe a B+.
Ryan Phillippe does an outstanding job, showing that even early in his career he was more than a pretty face, as does Nastassja Kinski, who I guess also shows she was more than a pretty face. (As for John Savage, he can probably phone in this kind of role by now.) One quirky aspect of the script is that various characters will be just about to learn something important when the scene will cut away .. leaving you, the viewer, in the dark. It comes dangerously close to being an annoyance, but the upside is that this allows the final act to spring its surprises all the more effectively.
I appreciated that the ending was more hopeful than I'd expected, partly because I thought I'd figured things out but was proved wrong. Had this been directed by someone like David Lynch it would probably have been a masterpiece. Nonetheless, even if it doesn't rise to that level it is certainly a film that holds your attention and keeps you guessing until the end. More than a "B movie" .. maybe a B+.