April (Mona Freeman) has just returned to England after spending four years in college in the States. Oddly, during the last four years, her father hasn't kept in touch with her and she only hears word when he has died. Even odder....her English accent has completely disappeared in the interim!!
April is filled with questions. Why did her father stop writing to her? What happened to her mother and how did she die? And, why is her new step-mother so apprehensive to give her the answers to her natural questions? Now anyone in this situation would be suspicious...and April's suspicions are not unusual. However, and here is why I was not thrilled with the film, instead of investigating quietly about what happened, she begins accusing her step-mother of murdering both her parents. There is no subtlety about her and she even begins making the accusations before she's looked into the details of the deaths. This is, to put it bluntly, poor writing.
What follows IS an interesting story. But I noticed how several called it 'Hitchcockian' and I hate that. Heck, I'm not even sure Hitchcock himself was Hitchcockian! But what I do know is that the lack of subtlety AND the lack of any alternate theory about the parents' deaths make this a film with little in the way of subtlety nor actual suspense...and it didn't remind me of Hitchcock. Where are the red herrings to make the viewer think of some alternate reason for the deaths? And, why does the film give you everything up front instead of allowing it to slowly be revealed? All in all, an interesting but flawed film that could have been so much more interesting and enjoyable.
April is filled with questions. Why did her father stop writing to her? What happened to her mother and how did she die? And, why is her new step-mother so apprehensive to give her the answers to her natural questions? Now anyone in this situation would be suspicious...and April's suspicions are not unusual. However, and here is why I was not thrilled with the film, instead of investigating quietly about what happened, she begins accusing her step-mother of murdering both her parents. There is no subtlety about her and she even begins making the accusations before she's looked into the details of the deaths. This is, to put it bluntly, poor writing.
What follows IS an interesting story. But I noticed how several called it 'Hitchcockian' and I hate that. Heck, I'm not even sure Hitchcock himself was Hitchcockian! But what I do know is that the lack of subtlety AND the lack of any alternate theory about the parents' deaths make this a film with little in the way of subtlety nor actual suspense...and it didn't remind me of Hitchcock. Where are the red herrings to make the viewer think of some alternate reason for the deaths? And, why does the film give you everything up front instead of allowing it to slowly be revealed? All in all, an interesting but flawed film that could have been so much more interesting and enjoyable.