Director Jennifer Chambers Lynch is not well known in the movie business but that should be changing fast. Along with directing this film, she also wrote it and has a definite twisted sense about her. The filming took place in Canada but is set in a small town in Nebraska. This work earned Jennifer the Best Director Award at the New York City Horror Film Festival in 2008 and also awarded actress Ryan Simpkins for Best Actress. The cast is amazing as Bill Pullman and Julia Ormond lead the group of talented actors.
FBI agents are following a string of senseless murders spanning the country and come upon a small town to investigate the latest from this serial of bloody murders. Three people, a cop, little girl and a drug addict survive the latest batch and are waiting at the local Police station for the FBI to question as in hopes of finding the culprits. When the agents, played by Pullman and Ormond arrive, they separate the three to get each of them to give their version of what happened on the road the previous day. As each of them piece together their version of the story, lies and deceit are evident except by the little girl. The cop is misleading in his story as he and his partner are looking for action in this mundane little town. The drug addict tells her story as if her and her boyfriend are looking for a job and the little girl is set off on a trip with her family on vacation. The story is both infuriating and gripping as the events unfold leading to end.
The extras are worth seeing to reinforce the ending that was chosen. The alternate ending fell flat but gives another perspective on what could have happened. Also with this section is the rare look into the mind of the director as she has a very different attitude than most women.
This is a very good movie in that it is full of suspense and thrills. It has a creepy feel to it but that helps to develop the story. It very much questions what could happen in a town in nowhere USA and can scare the pants off you. I think more than the killing parts, that the cops’ behavior was scarier to see what they are capable of doing out of boredom. All around this is a good movie to change from the norm and will surprise you.
Reviewed by Michael Albaugh
