Had Absentia been handled better the rating would have been a lot higher and number discussion boards created on the aspects of the story. Instead it was a loose hodgepodge mess that highlighted the B movie quality to the storyline.
The movie left me slightly irritated because there were so many questions that went unanswered. Even if it was run on a low budget there was no excuse for not elaborating on the eeriness of the movie. Some of the chills were done well, and without any annoying loud music that a lot of the "A" horror movies employ. Sure, one or two of them you could sense was coming but even when it happened it caused me to jump slightly and I was impressed. But these are few and far in between. Most of the time the movie plods on aimlessly. There's a bleak tone to the movie that's well maintained and while it doesn't go into a Hollywood type ending I certainly was hoping for something better.
The performances are not especially mesmerizing. The two lead girls are adequate but their interaction felt more like that of two best friends rather than sisters. The detectives were useless, especially the one with the glasses. But that's because of the poor character development, direction and the story. Which makes it the director's fault.
If this had been delivered into the hands of a more seasoned director and the story tightened to allow more development on the creepiness of the story it would have been a classic. While I recommend the movie, I do so grudgingly. It's slow and frustrating and the end will leave you shaking your head.
The movie left me slightly irritated because there were so many questions that went unanswered. Even if it was run on a low budget there was no excuse for not elaborating on the eeriness of the movie. Some of the chills were done well, and without any annoying loud music that a lot of the "A" horror movies employ. Sure, one or two of them you could sense was coming but even when it happened it caused me to jump slightly and I was impressed. But these are few and far in between. Most of the time the movie plods on aimlessly. There's a bleak tone to the movie that's well maintained and while it doesn't go into a Hollywood type ending I certainly was hoping for something better.
The performances are not especially mesmerizing. The two lead girls are adequate but their interaction felt more like that of two best friends rather than sisters. The detectives were useless, especially the one with the glasses. But that's because of the poor character development, direction and the story. Which makes it the director's fault.
If this had been delivered into the hands of a more seasoned director and the story tightened to allow more development on the creepiness of the story it would have been a classic. While I recommend the movie, I do so grudgingly. It's slow and frustrating and the end will leave you shaking your head.