Watch the trailer - you won't get any more from the film unless you read some online analysis

Rating: 2/10 (23 June 2018)

First of all, even after the film being A-rated and cinemas checking our id cards before entry, in the version shown in our cinema, they had CUT some essential scenes - like Charlie cutting the pigeon's head (it's in the trailer)! Who knows what else they cut for censor reasons!
Ok now onto the film itself - not sure what it is - wannabe cult psychological-supernatural-ritualistic-thriller-mystery-isshhh?
I don't know what the professional critics saw but this definitely does not qualify as a scary movie at all (unless you count the scary omissions in script). The audience felt listless, bored and everyone laughed out loud several times during the second half.
Why wasn't anything made clear - after all cinema is a visual medium. It feels like a film made from a 500-page book where it is a pre-requisite to have read the book in order to follow the film. Only problem- there is NO book. Doesn't at all feel like a original film script. Basic filmmaking - A film must provide ATLEAST enough visuals for the audience to draw their own conclusions - you can't just have a mish-mash of weird and creepy scenes and expect everyone to call it a masterpiece!
And why make Annie narrate when you could have dedicated a few scenes to what her mother was up to? Also, they should have given more screen time to Charlie.
Not many complaints wrt acting, esp from the principal cast:
Alex Wolff - If they want to nominate someone for Oscars from this film, they should nominate this guy, not Toni Collette. Excellent nuanced performance, extremely convincing in scenes where he is grief-stricken, panicked, traumatised or plain horrified. His face is a reflection of million emotions going on in his mind in one particular scene. If you have seen the film, you know the exact scene I am talking about.
Milly Shapiro - Another brilliant performance. She was totally convincing in every scene she was in.
Gabriel Byrne - Fine perfomance as the husband/father who has clearly had enough but is kind and generous enough to keep going on...
Toni Collette - Overacts a bit in some scenes especially since she knew some of the history of her mother.
I am happy to see the director not resorting to jump scares in a film like this but not much else to appreciate overall.