Good thriller hurt by a pace that allows you to think about the plot holes

Rating: 6/10 (3 August 2009)

A family that is still living in the shadow of the tragedy of a miscarriage decides to adopt an older child. They decided to adopt Ester, a girl who seems much more mature than the rest. However once she settles into house, it rapidly becomes clear that all is not right with the little girl. Well made horror film with a couple of problems that I think keep this film from being great. This is a film that has the look and feel of "bad seed" sort of films down. It hits all the right buttons in just the right way so as to make the tension grow and the skin crawl. The film is a perfect sort of guilty pleasure film.
As I said earlier the film has a couple of problems that kind of wound the film. First off the film is too long at just over two hours. More than a couple of times I looked at my watch and wondered how much longer this was going to go on. Its not that what I was seeing was bad, its just that it has a couple of sequences that seemed to go on past the point of optimum effect. The other problem for me is that the film has some plot holes that you can drive a truck through. I'm not talking about the infamous twist which has been a make or break for some people, I'm talking about other things, like no one really checking Ester's background until its way too late. There are a few others (including questions as a result of said twist) that kind of made me go "wah?". I suppose the suspension of belief is whats required for any film like this, but this one really pushes the limit and the audiences good graces.(Perhaps if the film had moved faster I wouldn't have had time to reflect and pull the film apart) Reservations aside this is a good little film. I don't think its the be all and end all but it is the sort of film thats perfect for curling up on the couch with on a rainy Saturday night.
Between 6 and 7 out of 10 ----- Re the twist: It worked for me. I can see how it might not for other people, but at the same time its something that raises a hell of a lot more questions then it answers