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I don't know what it is, but over the years films from Norway continue to intrigue me. "Naboer", The Innocents" "Speak No Evil" and "Thelma" have all made their marks worldwide- and although i would not place this film in that echelon, It more than holds its own.

Ane Dahl Torp absolutely shines in this film. She plays the mother of 2 small children who decide to head out on a fishing trip. The daughter's name is Storm. Rather then telling the kids to wait up, she allows them to run off on their own into the woods only to see her young son drown. There are only 3 possibilities- the son fell off the rocks and drowned by accident, Storm pushed her brother off the rocks to his death, or according to her daughter Storm, the mother drowned him. There was a witness who came forth saying the girl killed her brother and it was not by accident.

Now to be openly honest, the film does not give a definitive answer to the ultimate question, although what most believed true from the beginning is most likely. Director Erika Calmeyer does a terrific job of transcending the guilt factor to more closely examine the characters.

In my opinion, we may be seeing the formation of a Psychopath. Lies are told, and in the end although nothing is definitive- there may be more going on than what appears on the surface. Family secrets are universal and certainly not indigenous to Norway.

What really struck me is that Storm (the daughter) showed the characteristics of the behavior found in child psychopathology as seen in documentaries. When inteviewed- there was little to no eye contact, no emotions, matter of fact behavior- even when discussing serious subject matters, and lies to spin the truth when necessary. You can't spoil this film because it is open ended. Nothing is revealed.

Many won't like the open ending or even understand the motivations involved- but in my opinion this film is certainly worth a look. I admire films that require the audiences to think rather than be spoon fed. This is certainly one of them.

I am known for my very long reviews. This won't be one of them. Ms. Spielberg, what on earth were you thinking? I don't even know what to say. The synopsis sounded derivative but interesting. The trailer made me curious- but then, this movie?

The plot barely matters because there almost is none. There is exposition in the first 5 minutes including the films title. It serves no purpose- it becomes an afterthought- gives you a hint of a possible story that never materializes. It then gives you unlikeable characters you have no reason to care about, and after seeing cliche after cliche of typical thriller tropes well- the question becomes- why didn't i turn it off?

I didn't because it was Steven Spielberg's daughter's first film and i was hoping it would eventually become more interesting. What's shocking is it actually got worse -- and there was no great metaphor that people "needed to understand" or "didn't get". This is not a deep film. It could have been adults who ended up at the house for the purpose we later discover. There was no twist at the end, only a boring obvious common sense reveal. Oh by the way lady- where is your husband again?

The reason given in the first 5 minutes was not based on jealousy/fear but an excuse for a scapegoat. Kids don't outlive the adults. The adults have lived years longer already- and nobody was scared of anyone in this film unless they had a gun pointed at their face. In fact, those 5 minutes of exposition seemed like a setup for another movie entirely. Those looking for meaning or metaphors when there was none are just foolish. This film failed on every level.

Please- for your next film, pick up a decent script and a story that's interesting and that justifies becoming a full length movie. Thank you.