There's something about Hollywood...

Rating: 8/10 (3 January 2010)

...that tells you when you see a trailer for a film like this, stay away - lol. I guess we did just that as we viewed it on DVD last night. Had I sprung for theater tickets for this film, I would have got my money's worth.
As other reviewers have indicated, this film's plot device has been used before, Carrie, The Omen etc. Here is a fresh take on the "evil child" story. The whole "Esther has a secret" advertising was forgotten by your humble correspondent weeks ago, so I wasn't trying to figure out anything. It is obvious from Fuhrman's first appearance that there is indeed "something about Esther". Her delicate Slavic accent betrays her ominous presence and there is surely something decidedly "mature for her her age" about her, as sister Abigail puts it.
The deaf younger sister is played just as well by the talented Engineer, the fear in her expression coupled with the love she wants to feel with her "sister" is unmistakable. I hope she has a long career because she should be something to watch.
Furhmans performance is exquisite. Her acting is very subtle and very believable, every time she looks up from what she's doing you think boy, I wouldn't want that kid in my house. There's a hunger and a rage in her eyes that's just wonderful. One of the best such performances I've seen, and this young lady's future should be just as bright as Engineer's if not more so.
The other actors are really incidental here. The anger shown by the son towards Esther is about as emotional as he gets; I thought the other parts were wooden and trite.
Which brings me to the ending, and that whole we-think-she/he's-dead-but-they-jump-back-to-life thing ....its old, and the ending is 10 minutes longer than needed. The denouement was quick but abrupt, and not followed through, degrading into a chase scene type deal, replete with such tired devices as Esther popping out of the ice (after being submerged in freezing water for 2 minutes) and dragging the mother down....*yawn*.
Other than that, I highly recommend this movie. Get it on DVD and you'll enjoy it. Not for kids, but adults will enjoy following the story which is VERY well written! Cinematography is so good you don't even notice it, no stupid camera tricks to distract you. The director correctly figured that Fuhrman's presence was quite enough to capture the audiences attention, and I give that girl 10 out of 10 for her part.