Wow...not at all the movie I expected to see.  Not at all, no how, no way shape or form, no sir.

This is a tough one to even discuss without ruining it.  Don't worry, I won't ruin it.  I'll be very careful what I choose to say, and won't even begin to go into plot/story details.

First of all, let's get some details here.  Released overseas, but direct to video here, in the states.  Reported $18 Million budget, which always amazes and confuses me - why an entity would spend that kind of cash and then not release the finished project, I just don't understand, as there's no way it will recoup the investment without a theatrical release.

This was written and directed by Pascal Laugier, of Martyrs fame.  This guy is one twisted motherfucker, but of course I say that in a positive way.  He's also a very talented, out of the box guy, as far as I can tell., which is what I appreciate in a writer and director.

There is much talent on display here, in terms of really everything - performances, sets, look, editing, story, and most of all, impact.  I continually was asking myself WTF is going on, why, and where are we going, much as I did during Martyrs.

Now, don't get me wrong, this ain't no Martyrs, nor does it attain to be, but Laugier has a way about his scripts and film making that I'll call unique and intriguing.

It appears there were a number of different production companies together here, but the result doesn't come off that way, which is a good thing.  Even Studio Canal is in the credits.

This was shot in Nelson, BC and Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, but set in a fictional small mining town of Cold Rock, WA, with some insinuations involving Seattle and even Vancouver.  The dreary, rainy/snowy outdoor scenes were well executed and really delivered a spooky vibe throughout.

There is obviously a big twist here and it comes completely out of left field, but that's not always a bad thing, but it sure had me confused when it hit.  Does it make sense completely?  Do I even understand exactly what this was all about?  I'm not sure, but it sure got me thinking and really was a welcome relief to all the cheapass DTV horror clones I sit through.

After thinking about this for awhile, I've come to the conclusion that something was missing in the reveal or the aftermath that needed to be here...and clear.  I have a feeling this was most likely the reason it didn't get an official release - and if it did, would it have worked for the mainstream?  I doubt it...I highly doubt it.

If you watch, and I recommend you do, don't do it late at night when you're groggy.  Pay attention and if you have to, rewind to make sure you're up with what's happening, because once it alters course, it doesn't go back.

I gave it 3 stars, as in "like", but I actually considered going with 4.  There's alot to like here, but overall, it's a bit too depressing and even slow at times for me to go with a 4 star rating.

Jessica Biel gives a very impressive performance here, in a very understated way.  At times, she's barely recognizable, and is so far from glamorous, it's surprising she'd take such a role.  But that's where the beauty is in such a role.  She had a chance to shine here and in my book, she sure did.

Recommended!!!!

Straming... must be a new service.

Ooops...corrected.

Nelson (where the film was shot) is my home town, by the way!

Glad to hear a mostly positive review.  I've not seen it yet, but it's always scary when great foreign directors come to do work here.  Nice that it worked out.

Actor Katharine Ramdeen, who stars in my upcoming film April, was also in this one.  She said Laugier was great, though actors always say that.

Chris, I was actually thinking about you when the credits rolled and I saw Nelson.

Hey, mostly positive review?  I think it was very positive.  The more I think about it, the more I liked it.  Any well put together film that has me thinking WTF as I'm watching (in a good way, of course), gets my vote.

Pascal is a force, IMO.  I see big things in his future.  I really do.

Thumbs up on the film, and thanks for the suggestion.

Definitely an original story with a couple of twists and a strong theme.

The intention of the film is strongly moralizing, and though I think the creators want people to draw a certain conclusion, it's not preachy and it has enough flexibility where people can draw different conclusions in that regard. It sparks debate, which is always good.

Plenty of suspense. Holds your attnetion.

I thought the actor who played the fed did a superb job.

UPDATE: Jeff, what do you think is missing in the reveal?

Quoted from leitskev UPDATE: Jeff, what do you think is missing in the reveal?

Not sure, exactly, but I'm referring to well before the end, when I/we were wondering what the fuck was the motivation here?  I mean peeps paid with their lives and I didn't quite get exactly why...

SPOILER

Jessica Biel and her husband, who was not really dead, had seen children around the world grow up in hell. Thus the pictures on the wall.

When they saw the same thing happening in their town, they decided to do something. So they invented Tall Man, and started stealing kids from the worst households, and bringing them to better households in Seattle.

The Doctor had the resources to develop a newtwork to bring these kids to wealthy people who would give them a good life.

So no one was really dying. The young woman who helped Biel with the children committed suicide, but I don't think anyone else died.

Biel let the authorities take her so everyone would think it was over and stop trying to solve the puzzle. Meanwhile, her husband will continue to grow and expand the network into other towns.

The message of the movie is that if society will not do something to change the conditions these children are raised in, the doctor, Tall Man, will take them from the parents and give them to people able to give them a good life.

So at the end, when the girl is finishing her story, she's basically asking why it has to be this way, why can't society fix things so this is not necessary.

You probably already knew all this, but I can't think of any loose ends.

Yeah, I did know all this, but again, I say, why"  Why would whoever that young chick was that hung herself, hang herself?  Why would Jessica's character take the fall for being a mass murderer?

For me, it didn't quite add up, but I liked it all the same for sure.

They kind of explained Biel's surrender: someone had to take the fall for the operation to continue. I think the girl said this in her narration near the end. You might have stopped watching by then.

The suicide girl, who knows. Maybe she just couldn't live with herself knowing what they had done. Maybe she was dependent on Biel.

I was a little disappointed there was no Tall Man. Or anything supernatural. But it's better this way, as a story.

Good call!

No, I saw that and every single reel, including every single credit.

The mute girls actually said that she had 3 mothers, most likely Jessica first.

My point is "why"?  Why would any of them really do this and give their lives?

Her first mother is her real mother, the woman fighting the red neck, the woman in the trailer.

Her second mother is Biel, though she never lives with her. She just calls her her second mother.

The third is the woman she ends up with in Seattle, or wherever that city is.

The people give their lives for the sake of the children. Just like they were before, as seen in the pictures, when they are in Africa and places like that. Only now they do it at home, and now they have to abduct the children.

Part of her motivation, psychologically, is that she can't have children. So who knows, there could be an element of anger that these other people that don't deserve children have them.

That's also why she spends time playing with the children before sending them away.

Glad to hear you had more or less good things to say about this one, Jeff.

Personally, I was pretty happy with it. The first act was a little weak but lesser directors at their best might've produced the same work. I also think some of the shortcomings might've come from English not being Laugier's first language; some potential eloquence might've been lost in translation.

In any case, I'm glad it didn't suck and more importantly, that it was something fresh, for better or for worse. More than anything, I was worried the guy might turn in something conventional, even if it was really good. But his voice still shined through on this one. I think he might be the real deal and am hoping for good things from him in the future.

Holey Guacamole am I way off from everybody on this one. I can honestly say that this is the only movie I have seen this year that I didn't like, I saw this a while ago, and it just felt like a cheap lifetime movie. I think in a horror or suspense film there should at least be some kind of danger or peril, there is not really a villain in this film other than some redneck asshole who is in it for a couple minutes. I never thought anyone was in any danger at all throughout the film.

This felt like a typical lifetime save abused children move. It looked shotty, which I forgive because it is obvious they didn't have any money so they did the best they could, so I can't really fault them there. But the movie is just so dull and lifeless with no danger or excitment or any ideas, it was like watching paint dry.

Jessica Beal does have a nice scene in the end which was effective, but 90 minutes too late. This is the kind of movie my grandmother would watch on a sunday afternoon on basic cable, which is never a good sign

It's almost like you didn't watch the same movie, Boy. I'm not saying that because you didn't like it, but rather because you describe something different.

No danger? Biel's son(or we think he is) is taken from underneath her; then she climbs onto the edge of the truck; faces the dog a couple of times; and so on.

Then there is the menace from the townspeople, and the "tall man" in the factory.

Not saying it's the scariest moment in the history of film, but "no danger" hardly seems accurate.

No villain? Ah, the Tall Man. He turns out to be something different than we thought, but you don't know that until the end.

No ideas? Well, we might not like the idea, but the notion of creating a fake monster in order to abduct children from bad situations and put them in better ones does seem to be original. It certainly counts as an "idea".

But your grandmother sounds cool!