Elizabeth Harvest

I am not sure why this movie has received such a low IMDB rating. I got hooked from the very first scene and since then it was a quite intense ride indeed. There was never a moment I felt bored. I especially found cinematography, editing, and score really fascinating. Setting of the movie in an isolated location only adds to the intrigue of the story. Beautifully done thriller all around.

Elizabeth (Abbey Lee) is the new trophy wife of rich, older Henry (Ciarán Hinds). He carries his new bride over the threshold of his high-tech remote hilltop manson. Local cop Logan (Dylan Baker) is his close friend. Claire (Carla Gugino) and Oliver (Matthew Beard) are the two caretakers.

The first hour is a good Black Mirror episode. That's what this should have been. The flashback revealing the origin of Elizabeth is mostly unnecessary and slows the pace down too much. The second half could have been compressed with a more thrilling climax. There is a definite decline in tension after an important midway incident.

This movie is definitely something different, it was interesting and entertaining and somewhat engaging. Having just watched the movie I'm not sure how I feel about it yet other than I'm glad that I stuck with it, having been interested at first and then puzzled for a little bit until it started unfolding. They went out on a limb with this one and I think they got most of what they wanted, it is a good movie.

I enjoyed this film. It is different. I can't recall seeing another movie that is quite like it. Elizabeth is a newlywed who is honeymooning with her much older billionaire husband at his private mountain property. The only other people present are a female and blind male who are servants. The home is rather large and Elizabeth is free to enjoy all areas of the property with the only exception being a room that her husband, whom we learn to be a intelligent man of science, has specifically denied her access to. Elizabeth, who seems to come off as a bit ditsy, has a curious nature chooses to explore the room after her husband goes out of town on business. It is at this point she learns more than she bargained for and her life takes a turn for the worse. That is about all I can say about the plot without adding spoilers but I didn't see what was coming and I love that about this film. You are introduced to several different plot twists that pull you in different directions. I've seen that a few people weren't impressed by our lead actress and felt that her acting was off. I didn't feel that way. I felt that her acting was very much in line with her character and what may have initially seemed like bad acting is revealed to be a part of her character. I liked it and felt as though it was a good watch.

I watched this movie last night and I have to say it is growing on me. The more I think about it, the more I like it. I certainly agree it is slow. It's intentionally slow, but excessively so. My wife gave up on it because of this. After making it through the whole movie, here is what I like:

It has some plot twists that are unexpected, but also make sense in the context of the movie. They don't come out of nowhere and I like the backstory the twists add.

The acting, especially by the lead actress, is great. I really thought she brought Elizabeth to life.

The brooding cinematography set the stage for the confined nature of the film. It was not excessively depressing though.

Overall, not a perfect movie, but I liked it a lot.