Finally watched this last night after reading JonRowe’s original post. I stopped reading the thread there after his advice to go into it without reading any more about it before seeing it. Having now seen it, I read the rest of the thread.
I normally don’t watch movies like this, as they tend to traumatize me. I have no personal experience with the subject matter, but stuff like this traumatizes me anyway. Usually. I thought this film handled its realism really well. Realistic, while toning down the stuff that would otherwise make it very difficult to watch. So I had no difficulty watching it. I was always tense and very uncomfortable at times, but never to the point of, “I can’t watch any more of this.”
I thought it was a very good movie. Having read the criticisms above, I can certainly understand where that criticism comes from, and can even agree with it in some cases, but even agreeing with some of the criticism, I thought it was excellent, and generally very well done.
Yes, the child’s voice-overs were somewhat jarring and unnecessary, but I didn’t really mind them.
I thought the child actor did just fine. Nothing outstanding, but given his part, I don’t see how he could have done any better.
Maybe I’m misunderstanding your meaning, but having gone through his whole life isolated, I would think that he would have trouble connecting with anyone besides his mother. But maybe you mean strictly on an acting level. But how can you tell the difference? I thought the child actor did an admirable job portraying a child in his circumstances.
The second half of the movie did seem directionless, but I thought that it was an accurate portrayal of how things might play out in real life. I was worried that there would be a horrifying courtroom scene in there, and was glad there wasn’t.
The only part of the film I had any problem with was how William H. Macy just disappeared without any sort of resolution whatsoever. And again, this is probably true to how it might actually play out. But I thought that Macy did a tremendous job with the role, and would have loved to see a lot more of his character, as he made me more uncomfortable than the actual bad guy, and they could have done much, much more with his character.
Best part: The kid unrolling from the carpet, and then just lying there staring up at the sky, oblivious to everything except the wonderment of what he is experiencing. His awe is palpable.
Overall, I really liked it. Won’t be watching it again though, as it was pretty much unforgettable, and I do have trouble with the subject matter. The very idea of someone being (and I suppose I should spoiler tag this, since no one else has yet said it) held prisoner in a tiny room for years makes me very emotional on many levels.
Even after watching this movie, I still cannot even imagine what it would be like, nor would I want to. And in that respect, I’m glad they toned down that part of it.
