Prodigy

For a straight to dvd type movie, this is actually pretty good. Most of the acting is up to par and the special effects were better than a lot of indie movies I've seen. My biggest issue is the movie starts off slow, but eventually it picks up and the ending made it worth watching. Other than that, this was better than I expected from something so low budget.

This movie was a mixed bag with hokey moments throughout, some of the dialog seemed a little forced and tried a little too hard to be intelligent. A couple characters seemed superfluous and could have been left out entirely. That being said, there are truly beautiful moments in this film. Particularly dealing with trauma and the way we cope, or don't cope with it. Unfortunately, the ending just fell short and although I wanted to cry, it didn't quite come together well enough to allow me the catharsis that came with the conclusion. Overall, this film was engaging, intelligent and at times beautiful. Definitely one of my favourite low-budget films, and everyone involved should be proud of what they've accomplished.

The psychologist Dr. Fonda (Richard Neil) is invited by his colleague and friend Dr. Olivia (Jolene Andersen) to analyze the girl Ellie (Savannah Liles) in a military facility directed by Mr. Birch (Emilio Palame). Dr. Fonda is monitored by experts and must decide the fate of Ellie, who is the result of a failed military experiment. Soon Dr. Fonda discovers that Ellie is an intelligent girl and also a menace since she has powerful abilities and the military intend to destroy her. But Dr. Fonda foresees a chance to control her. What will be Ellie´s fate?

"Prodigy" is a surprisingly good low budget film. The storyline is tense and attractive but the conclusion is predictable. The plot is not original and there are many other films with powerful kids (maybe "Carrie" is the most famous) and Ellie recalls Carrie associated to Dr. Hannibal Lecter. But the conflict between emotion and reason is interesting. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Prodigy"

For a low budget psychological thriller it wasn't bad at all. It's not that I will remember it in the future, but to watch once it's good enough. Especially for the acting of the little girl Eleonore/Ellie played by Savannah Liles. I think she did a good job playing the creepy teenager, not only with her vocabulary but also with her facial expressions. It's a low budget, with only four different places where they shoot the entire movie, and with only a handful of actors, but you didn't need more to bring this story. A story of mind games and a bit of supernatural. Not exceptional but good enough to entertain you during 80 minutes.

There are lots of movies with creepy or scary kids but this film is worse since the little girl is a Ginger. Watch the South Park episode titled Ginger Kids, season 9 episode 11 to get the full creepiness out of this little girl with deadly powers. All in all not a bad movie.