Middle-America open for scrutiny

Rating: 10/10 (25 February 2007)

Beautiful, intelligent direction - a dysfunctional family laid bare like flesh on a mortician's slab. Watch out for the very slow zooms that make the viewer feel like they are really prying into, and scrutinising, the lives on display here. Mena Suvari is brilliant as a false, foul teen, Kevin Spacey shines as the sexually and emotionally frustrated middle-aged middle-American, but Annette Benning steals the show - she is simply superb. Very simple, haunting music is used to good effect in the soundtrack. This movie is a must-see - although there are no adrenalin-pumping action scenes or special effects, it had me on the edge of my seat for ninety minutes.