Seeing beautiful Erin in the desert in this movie's first frame, I had a flashback to the terrible facts of her true-crime tale of lust and treachery.
Yes, it's June 2014 in the desolate Mojave Desert, and deliriously bubbly Erin awaits her married lover -- too young, naïve, or maybe manic to consider he may not be thrilled with her pregnancy.
There's a chilling bit of foreshadowing early on, when Chris joins Erin for some videogame play. "Prepare to die!" he tells her, to which she coquettishly replies: "I think I can handle you." Ya really think?
Director Manu Boyer creates such suspense by the end that I fast-forwarded through the movie's final frames to help me handle the crime itself. Only then could I rewind and behold the truth.
There are good performances here from Sadie Calvano as Erin, an 18-year-old with seemingly zero insight into her impulse of the moment -- be it a Vegas wedding to Marine Corpsman Jon (Evan Roderick) or a sip from the beer bottle of seductive next-door-neighbor Chris (Tom Stevens).
There are hints early on that Erin may not be what she appears. We catch a glimpse of trepidation in her mom, Lore (Teresa Laverty), when Jon chivalrously seeks her hand in marriage.
And the movie captures other truths. As the mother of young-adult children, I can identify with Lore's insecurity. And, thinking back on the men who I took seriously, I also commiserate with Erin, who wants to believe that if she likes a guy, he'll treat her right. Ain't that a dangerous assumption!
This terrible thing need never have happened. But then, we'd be living in a rational world. How very sad...
Yes, it's June 2014 in the desolate Mojave Desert, and deliriously bubbly Erin awaits her married lover -- too young, naïve, or maybe manic to consider he may not be thrilled with her pregnancy.
There's a chilling bit of foreshadowing early on, when Chris joins Erin for some videogame play. "Prepare to die!" he tells her, to which she coquettishly replies: "I think I can handle you." Ya really think?
Director Manu Boyer creates such suspense by the end that I fast-forwarded through the movie's final frames to help me handle the crime itself. Only then could I rewind and behold the truth.
There are good performances here from Sadie Calvano as Erin, an 18-year-old with seemingly zero insight into her impulse of the moment -- be it a Vegas wedding to Marine Corpsman Jon (Evan Roderick) or a sip from the beer bottle of seductive next-door-neighbor Chris (Tom Stevens).
There are hints early on that Erin may not be what she appears. We catch a glimpse of trepidation in her mom, Lore (Teresa Laverty), when Jon chivalrously seeks her hand in marriage.
And the movie captures other truths. As the mother of young-adult children, I can identify with Lore's insecurity. And, thinking back on the men who I took seriously, I also commiserate with Erin, who wants to believe that if she likes a guy, he'll treat her right. Ain't that a dangerous assumption!
This terrible thing need never have happened. But then, we'd be living in a rational world. How very sad...