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.
