This story is about a desperate situation: a beloved son has been kidnapped and faces execution unless his family can secure a ransom and deliver it on time. There are several other story lines interwoven, and all of them involve tragedy. The filmmaker involves the audience in the emotions that each of the characters is dealing with; we grow to care perhaps too much for the fate of each. I disagree that the ending is predictable. It shocked the hell out of me; I'm a happy ending kind of person, and this one definitely is not! Yet if one is drawn to a compelling story, beautifully executed, then I strongly recommend this film.