![]() We never understand why Steven’s relationship with her parents was so bad prior to the debilitating accident. It’s difficult to recommend a film that’s ultimately so inconsequential that it evaporates under any scrutiny. In a way that sums up the entirety of Shut In. The film’s central twist is only truly terrible when it’s fully examined. It’s mostly a time-marking exercise until we reach the hysterical, slasher flick-style climax. Does she secretly want Steven dead in order to free herself from the burden of caring for him? Could Tom be her “new son” if only she could locate the missing boy? What’s actual real and what is just Mary’s mind playing tricks on her?Īs the first hour of Shut In drags on, it becomes clear there’s not much depth to explore. Director Blackburn blurs the line between dreams and reality as Mary is increasingly haunted by disturbing nightmares. When Tom goes missing after running away from his caretakers, Mary becomes convinced the young boy is secretly living in her house. Wilson (Oliver Platt) are so regular (and unproductive) it calls her own professional abilities into question. Mary’s Skype sessions with psychiatrist Dr. Watts goes all in as Mary, painting as vivid a portrait of mental instability as the screenplay allows. When it’s revealed Tom will be transferred to a special school, Mary feels like her most promising case is being ripped from her. ![]() She has a strong (but strange) bond with Tom (Jacob Tremblay, Room), a partially deaf child with behavioral problems. While Steven sits in his wheelchair, parked in front of the TV all day, Mary meets with the town’s troubled kids. Living in a remote, wooded area, she runs a children’s mental therapy clinic. Mary (Watts) loses her husband in devastating automobile accident that also leaves her stepson Steven (Charlie Heaton) paralyzed and in a vegetative state. The results don’t really justify the efforts.ĭirector Farren Blackburn struggles to maintain a level of general competency throughout, but the plot turns consistently strain credibility. Two-time Oscar nominee Naomi Watts appears to have no shortage of work available to her, yet she signed on to star as the emotionally-troubled psychologist at the center of Shut In. For point of comparison, that means it was in the company of Arrival, Hell or High Water, John Wick, and Whiplash. The Christina Hodson-penned script landed on 2012’s “Black List,” Hollywood’s annual roster of most-liked, unproduced screenplays. Maybe the screenplay for Shut In was better on paper.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |