Chilling to the Bone

Rating: 9/10 (20 September 2010)

What if the child you adopted was trying to kill you, or your family? That's quite a big thing. This film brings that fear to life. When seemingly innocent Esther (Isabelle Fuhrman) is adopted by Kate (Farmiga) and John (Sarsgaard), things start to go wrong with the family. Kate doesn't buy into Esther's innocence, but everyone else turns on Kate when Esther dupes and silences the people around her.
I've seen Vera Farmiga in numerous films before, specifically, The Departed and Running Scared. I'm not a huge fan of hers, but she was quite astounding in this as Kate. I've seen Peter Sarsgaard in a few films as well and was mesmerized by his performance in Shattered Glass and he definitely stands out to me now. I'd never seen Isabelle Fuhrman before either. I'm not going to give away the ending or anything, but I was surprised by Isabelle's portrayal.
As it comes to the story, it's rather frightening, as is Esther's character. I kept feeling a lot of empathy towards Max (the daughter of Kate and John) and Daniel (the son). Max continuously gets duped into helping Esther do horrible things and keeps witnessing the evil that surrounds her. It really chills you to your bone and shivers your spine.
I really felt for all the characters, regardless of not having children, and really grew to disdain Esther. I predicted her intentions early on, but in no way guessed correctly who she really was. It's a really suspenseful film and one that takes children to a whole new level of maturity (and I'm not just talking about Esther's actions in the film).
I think what really stands out is the realism of the film and how far the writers pushed the boundaries. It goes over the top sometimes, but I think it's still realistic as far as how Esther is able to get away with things and solidify herself against Kate. I'm glad I was able to predict John's character at the end but was wrong about some things in the film. I like to be surprised once in awhile with some films. This one caught me off guard a few times. It was really great.
Because of the sexuality, language, violence and mature themes of the film I cannot recommend this to anyone under 18. Even if you're a mature 16-year old, I'd advise you to ask your parents to watch it with you. It's quite enjoyable if you're mature enough. I only had a dislike for the Hollywood ending. Otherwise, you'll enjoy the film.