Good idea, (some) good acting, poor execution

Rating: 6/10 (31 October 2009)

I went into this film really wanting to love it. And I can honestly say that certain aspects of it I DID love.
First the good: The basic premise is interesting. Captivating, actually. And the "twist" ending certainly comes as a surprise, thanks in large part to an absolutely stunning performance by the titular child actress. She pulls of a VERY creepy blend of smothered maturity with a sort of innocence.
Most of the acting is more than passable, particularly on the part of the other children in the film.
Where the problems come in is with motivation and plot depth. The writers felt the need to include a "troubled relationship" as the basis for this particular family unit. However, they went overboard and in the end created a completely dysfunctional relationship between the parents.
Where this creates a serious problem is with the supposed adoption. This couple should, and would, have been refused as potential candidates for adoption. The previously lost child, the alcoholism issues in the past, and infidelity, were all serious stumbling blocks to this end.
The writers also felt the need to write the father character as a total jerk... hey, let's not mince words. What happens in the end, well, I almost felt it was well-deserved.
Another problem with the characterizations is that these two adults were so obviously NOT ideal parent material. How many parents could look their child in the eyes and say "are you sure that no one did anything bad to you?" and NOT recognize the look of sheer terror in that child's face?
There are people who WILL be very queasy and uncomfortable towards the end of this film. There is definitely material there that makes you question the sexualization of children in our society.
So a 6 out of 10.