MOVIE REVIEWS

Review by CinemaSerf

I haven't seen the Danish film upon which this is based, so I cannot say whether it does or doesn't stay true to that. Taken on it's own, however, it is an emotional car-crash of a film that didn't work for me at all. Michelle Williams seems to be in a giant sulk in almost all of her scenes - it is as if she is in some sort of vacuum. The ultimately - albeit benignly, manipulative Julianne Moore doesn't fare that much better, though her role has more moving parts for her to work with. Both the husband and the daughter seem to behave oddly and unrealistically at significant moments and the few rare moments of anger/passion seem eerily detached. The characters are all too busy lying to themselves and each other that they forget they are lying to the audience too... Pity, had great potential.