By Jan Hamilton
Synopsis Source: SXSW Participants
In a perfect town filled with perfect families, twelve-year-old Justin Whitter has gone missing. Greg Harper, lead investigator on the case, struggles to balance the pressures of the investigation which has brought to attention a similar case thought to be buried in the past, while finding a way to forgive his well-heeled wife, Jackie, for a recent infidelity. Great strain is put on the family as Jackie’s guilt slowly gnaws away at her grip on reality, and when a malicious presence manifests itself and puts their young son, Connor, in mortal danger, the cold, hard truth about evil in the Harper household is finally
uncovered.
The atmosphere is tense in the Harper household, wife Jackie (Helen Hunt) has recently confessed to an affair and her police detective husband Greg (Jon Tenney) and her son Conner (Judah Lewis) are not happy. Greg is bogged down in a missing children case, while Jackie tries to continue working and winning back her family’s trust. Jackie sees strange, almost occult things happening in the house, but can never find out what’s going on. A number of twists occur that will shake you, with a resolution that is almost too tidy, but I never the less found it to be quite satisfying. The cast is quite good, the pacing is fast, and the outcome is just. I recommend this as an excellent thriller.