Fall 39

In this film, a dedicated social worker who works to protect minors will come across a case that initially appears to be violence and domestic abuse. She is not sure what is really going on in that family, but her instinct and experience tell her that there is something very wrong with those parents. And the suspicions are confirmed when, alerted by the girl, she finds her parents ready to kill her in the oven. Months later, she obtains the girl's provisional custody, but just a few weeks of living together will be enough for her to begin to see that this girl may not be as innocent as she looks, and that something truly sinister is going on with her.

Horror films in which children are the central element of the plot are nothing new. We had classics like "Village of the Damned", "The Omen" and the entire "Children of the Corn" franchise, not to mention the more recent films like "The Orphan". However, they are still delicious and appealing, when they are really well done. The film has an interesting story, which unfolds at a good pace, without twists, subterfuges or stratagems to amplify the suspense, and everything suffers from a certain degree of predictability. However, the film benefits from the good construction of the characters, especially the protagonist, a social worker who soon conquers us with her dedication and good intentions, and holds our attention until the end.

In fact, the excellent performances of Renee Zellweger and young Jodelle Ferland are essential for the quality and strength of the final product. Zellweger had already shown us, in several previous works, to be an actress of great talent and versatility, but she manages to take the film on her back, while Ferland was able to overcome her inexperience and youth to give us a colossal job. For a child actress, she even looks like an adult, as threatening and calculating as she can be. The film also features the work of Ian McShane and Bradley Cooper, safe bets on the supporting characters.

The film is not particularly remarkable in terms of production values and technical issues. Cinematography is standard, but it works quite well and is effective, adapting well and helping to build the light tension felt during the film. Some scenes in particular (such as the sinking car scene or the fire) were brilliantly shot, but there is a greater sense of danger. The sets and costumes are everything we could hope for, without surprises or major problems. The editing and the soundtrack do their job discreetly.

A social worker named Emily Jenkins (Renee Zellweger) fights to save a girl named Lilith Sullivan (Jodelle Ferland) from her abusive parents (Callum Keith Rennie , Kerry O'Malley) . When Emily meet the nine-year-old girl, she immediately fall in love with the well-educated daughter and then she decides to adopt the child only to aware that the situation is more dangerous than she ever expected . Eventually, Emily begins to feel that Lilith is manipulative and possibly even psychologically disturbed . Later on , Emily learns Lilith has a troubled and mysterious history. Jenkins helped by Det. Mike Barron (Ian McShane) delves further into Lilith's past and discovers she is not at all who she pretends to be.

This is an entertaining terror movie where the intrigue,tension, suspense appear threatening and lurking in every room, corridors , elevator and interior and exterior. Remarkably well-acted, darkly paced , and effectively disturbing .This frightening movie is plenty of thrills, scary fun, chills, body-count and nice use of color with phenomenal results . It's brilliantly cast - Renee Zellwegger and Bradley Cooper- are top-notch as usual, but what really stood out where the natural performances director Christian Alvert (who subsequently would direct another good terror film with surprising style as ¨Pandorum) was able to get from the child actor-Ferland- .

Dark, edgy, twisted, effective, clever, intense, one of the best "evil child" films I've ever seen along with ¨The orphan¨(2008) by Jaume Collet Serra .It is a well-acted and slow-building suspense story with slick direction and cinematography. The creepy score also serves the film well, without becoming overpowering in signaling this is an " eerie" film. The actress who plays Lilith shows a skill in performance that makes one think we may actually have another Jodie Foster to keep an eye on. Compelling directed with startling visual content by Christian Alvart (Pandorum , Antibodies , Curiosity: the cat) . This genuinely mysterious story is well made and is one of the best ¨evil kid¨ movie with effective aesthetic and sense of style . Rating : 6,5 acceptable ; this unsettling picture will appeal to Renee Zelleweger fans and horror genre buffs .

The beginning intrigued me. What is the entity in question, and why is it tormenting Lilith, and her parents before her? Why do the parents blame Lilith when she is clearly a victim? This is the main thing Case 39 has going for it: you won't know at first what type of movie it will end up being. Later in the film, though, it has chosen its bag of clichés and sticks to them. Which bag? Ah, that would be telling.

This being said, the common devices director Alvart chooses for the film still work, and Ferland (Lilith) does a good job in a demanding role for a girl who was twelve or thirteen years old when the movie was completed, on 2007. It was finally released in October of 2010, the month of Ferland's sixteenth birthday.

Why you should see it You enjoy things, other than your annoying upstairs neighbor, that go "bump" in the night. You still find Zellweger to be as adorable as she was the first time she said "you had me at hello," and not nearly as annoying as that line became upon its 300th repetition. You like your paranormal phenomena to surround pale, creepy kids.

Why you shouldn't see it You're terribly afraid of hornets, heights, shotguns, ovens, carving knives, bodies of water, forks, and blunt objects, and you don't feel up to confronting all of these phobias within the space of two hours.

Social Worker Emily (Zellweger) takes in 10-yr old Lillith (Ferland) whose parents tried to kill her.

Things kind of get wrapped up within the first 15-minutes and what else is there to do you ask yourself. Well, things aren't quite what they seem and by now, you will have figured it all out. But, again, it's in the telling that makes this a good movie and you stay with it.

This is billed as a horror movie and you know I don't review horror movies (hey, I have to sleep at night). Okay, so I took a chance. See? The acting is first rate by all and the pace is very good. There is a certain amount of tension and suspense and you won't sleep here.

Now, although you have figured things out, you have not figured out how this ends or should end, or will end …..whatever. That occupies your mind quite a bit. And, along the way, you find yourself jumping at certain things. Not really horror though, but could have been.

Renee Zellweger really got into her character to such a point I was mimicking her moves at times. I felt as though I was there. You'll see.

Violence: Yes. Sex: No. Nudity: No. Language: Yes, but only one or two F-bombs

This was a trippy movie that was pretty intense. Most of all I wanted to know what was up with the little girl. There was clearly something not right about her, but was she another Samara from The Ring?

I'm not a Zellweger fan by any means, but she was decent in this movie. Stay tuned to the very end and you will be rewarded.