This film is essentially a drama of family tragedy and broken friendships. That it has elements of a supernatural crime thriller that never materializes is likely the result of leakage from director Marc Forster's almost-simultaneous second release, Monster's Ball. The story centers on the eager anticipation and subsequent catastrophe suffered by Angie and Russ, a couple awaiting the birth of their first child. With a cheerful group of similar friends, all wrapped up in baby showers and suburban backyard barbecues, they share affluent but bland lives. When their newborn son dies of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) Angie (Radha Mitchell) is plunged into a nightmare world of grief and isolation. Her friends abandon her rather than rally round to support her. Or rather, that is the viewpoint implicit in the unsettling mix of visual styles and abrupt shifts of tone.
The bonds between pregnant Angie and her pregnant friends Judith and Barbie appear to be strong, but after Angie's baby dies they do not call or visit and instead avoid her as though she is a jinx against their own healthy babies. This is disturbing and puzzling and one could dismiss the film and its characters for their superficiality. Yet, there is something that nags at the viewer and feels uncomfortably familiar. We recognize that this is often how real people react when faced with the despair of others. They know they have no power to change things, so they withdraw with the rationalization that flaunting their own good fortune would only be salt in the wound.
There is much that does not ring true. Grieving father Russ (Justin Louis) also endures the pain of loss. However he must carry on without benefit of any attempted words of comfort from his wife. Angie evidently was offered no support from her doctor or hospital staff. As much as I wanted to dismiss them all as being unlikable at best, there is a truth underlying the satirical quality of the film that haunts.
The exploration of Angie's suffering would have worked better were it not for the lapses in credibility, furthered by the jarring cinematography and wailing baby sounds on the soundtrack. The forays into different styles suggest something mysterious or paranormal is about to happen. The glimpse we get of the relationship between Angie and her own detached mother (Judy Geeson) illuminates the likely reason for her panic and obsession over the loss of the baby. The final scene is perhaps the most poignant one in the film, and comes at such a price to Angie that for the first time we truly care about with her. While provocative in subject matter and well acted, Forester fails to quite put everything together.
DVD