ElemenTory

I sometimes love a bit of a trashy/Hallmark/straight to TV kind of film. Usually 'based on real events'. They have their place and, in my view, can be entertaining despite the often mediocre acting and VERY sensationalised presentation. Among the many so bad they're good, there is occasionally a hidden gem, or within these films, a really stand out performance. An actor who is phenomenal and you hope get the roles and backing their talent deserves.

I skimmed the reviews for this film and they were mostly extremely negative. However, I was intrigued enough by the synopsis and, to be honest, the fact that for a few viewers this was a 9 or 10/10, and for the majority a 3/10 at best. Anyways, I decided to put it on in the background and see if I got sulked in.

Well, I watched the entire thing! So I guess that I was undeniably hooked in. The plot follows the parents of 3 young children who go missing within the same town and a small time frame. The police are frankly negligent and, probably due to the socio-economic status and overall profile of the families, not given the attention, resources or effort they desire. In this respect, although it's not an original statement/message, I valued that it was highlighting this awful truth: only certain victims of crime and members of society are given the support and level of investigation they should be. It speaks of how the media, the authorities and much of society want or need a victim to fit a specific profile, and those who fall short are often blamed, or seen as less deserving of sympathy and justice. In the cases of these three children, it seems they are almost discarded and their disappearances go barely acknowledged. Again, important messages.

However, this film increasingly descends into an almost caricature? (I'm not sure if that best describes what I mean?). Some of there performances and acting is actually really good, andni think those that state the acting is terrible aren't being fair to some of the cast, who are excellent. In fragments of this film i feel it showed potential. Gradually, though, it feels very amateurish. The storyline is unsophisticated in uts development, and by the final quarter is, if it weren't for the subject matter, laughable. Camp?!? It has no subtlety. The characters become cartoonish and are simplistic and the writers display immaturity.

I'd say, if you want something trashy, entertaining and in some ways, interesting (in terms of seeing how a film maker is developing/clearly displays their strengths and weaknesses fully in their work), give it a watch. As I said, it does also make important points, but sadly cannot be taken seriously due to the overall presentation and lack of sophistication.

The story is all too real for many families and the makers of this movie fell way too short on their delivery.

The name was a terrible choice and made it sound as though the focus was one child. Just bad all around.

Not much research on policies and procedures for abducted children. The police in the movie carried themselves more like mall cops.

The acting was terrible. Could've been such a good movie if there was better acting, better writing and maybe a bigger budget.

It was the usual, "everyone's a suspect" spin, with the most obvious being the outcome.

Almost 2hrs of my life gone now.

It's the worst film I've ever watched,the acting is terrible,the film isn't believable at all ,so many things didn't make sense, and the kidnapers were just ridiculous, there obviously has been no research for this film ,and no DBs checks for the staff in the school,whoever wrote and directed this film should never do a film ever again ,if there going do a film with a story like that they need do it properly,I would be so ashamed to be a part of it.its so bad , it's really annoyed me because people who have gone through this situation and are going through it right now it would really upset them.

The show kept me interested in it, it has it's highs and lows, although it was quite predictable but very realistic to the possibility of what could really happen to anyone in real life. I liked it, couldn't stop watching it as I wanted to know what happened and if the hunch was right.

I would recommend anybody to watch this as it very well could happen anywhere. One never knows what in life what trials and tribulations one or another can or end up going thru. The show also shows one that trusting your own gut or hunch could very well be the best end result in a situation that could be of life or death to another.

What could have been an interesting and well meant film, turned into a mess with sloppy dialogue, pedestrian cinematography and amateurish acting. A parents worst nightmare when their child goes missing, is the premise of the film but there is a darker side of this poorly executed film. With the proper director, budget and professional actors, this could have been a very good film, but it fails in every aspect. I do have to say that it kept my attention, however predictable the film and its perpetrators were. It is not the worse film I've ever seen but the premise was believable, the execution not. If you want to see an excellent film on this subject, watch Hugh Jackman, Terrence Howard and Viola Davis in "Prisoners"