Dawning

"Dawning" is a pretty decent psychological thriller that is marred by some uneven acting and a non-great ending. The director does an effective job with the pacing, and I thought the family drama that played out was realistic and well-acted.

However, some of the acting feels as if they could have run through a couple more takes and it probably would have helped to re-shoot a couple of the scenes, something that the budget probably didn't allow for. That said, I thought the film got many things right, from the tight camera work and the believable, relate-able characters that you wind up caring about to the contrast between the brightly-lit cabin and the dark, wind- blowing-through-the-trees creepy forest.

If you're considering watching this film, and are wondering if you'll enjoy it, here's a simple test: you're flipping through channels late one night. On one channel, a couple Twilight Zone episodes are playing. On another, one of the latter Saw sequels is on. If you're the sort of person who'd rather watch the Twilight Zone episode, then you'll probably enjoy this film.

Based on the trailer, I was concerned that this film would be pretentious and boring; I am happy to be wrong! The story is compelling and the characters are believable, which is crucial to the horror genre. There are no cheap quick scares; instead the film is long on tension and atmosphere. The viewers are spared blood and gore. The acting, across-the-board, is fantastic. I especially liked Christine Kellogg-Darrin, who brings heart to the role of Laura, a woman fighting to keep her marriage intact and bond with her resentful step-daughter. For people who appreciate intelligent horror films, "Dawning" is a must.

The movie starts like a typical horror movie then lost focus. Did not know if the topic was family problems or something evil outside the cabin. anyways it stayed that way till the end. Absolutely no plot of any kind. It was as if a family had gone into the woods for a vacation and then all of a sudden decided to make a movie during that time. Najarra Townsend acted well but the rest of the cast was awful. The attempt to induce horror through the killing of the dog failed to have any impact and in fact diluted whatever little suspense that was building up. It was all too familiar. loosely woven plot, awful acting, lack of direction left a bad taste.

It could have been an interesting concept. Unfortunately, the script is unrealistic and the acting is poor (especially the actress who plays the sister). The story is too slow-paced, as if the director didn't know himself in which direction he was going. From the first minute, it is hard to sit back and enjoy the film as the director doesn't have the capacity to make you forget you actually are watching a film. It is impossible to feel any fear or tension, or any kind of emotion at all, as the actors don't project anything (the script doesn't help them). The way the characters react is completely unnatural, even at the beginning. The end is disappointing, nothing makes any sense. Basically, a waste of time.

There seems to be 2 favorable reviews of this film which I find very hard to believe. Rest assured that the 2 reviews were given by the same person. The movie tried very hard. The director really gave a go at an artsy type of horror film. Much in the way of films such as AntiChrist or evening The Shining. The problem was that the director didn't have any directions.(Imagine that). The only bonus to the film was I thought the girl in it was pretty hot and could possibly go somewhere with her acting I guess. The score was pretty much stolen from a hundred other movies which bothered me. To the director and writer. Yes it is fine to be vague with who or what your antagonist is. If done correctly you can add suspense to a film. But not so freaking vague that after the people watching and thinking, well that explained nothing and wasted my time.