Emelie

By reading the premise for this film I'm sure you know that this isn't going to be some edge of your seat sophisticated thriller, it is a straightforward (mostly predictable horror/thriller that entertains enough but fails to accomplish much).

The flick started interesting enough, had me intrigued right off the bat, however from there it just kind of slows down and starts following the exact same path that many other similar movies have. As the babysitter's intentions become clear the movie got kind of bland, I just didn't really care about most of the stuff that was going on. The film managed to hold my interest enough to stop from turning the movie off but it failed to create any real tension/suspense.

It wasn't all bad, I thought the cast did a really good job, especially the child actors who all gave very realistic performances and succeeded at not really being annoying or obnoxious at all. There were a few memorable scenes as well, one that was really unintentionally funny in my opinion.

Overall this wasn't a bad movie, it did it's job of killing 1 hour & 20 minutes. It's just the whole thing has a very bland and familiar atmosphere that prevents it from being anything more than just another lower budget horror movie.

5/10

Emilie (who is superbly portrayed by Sarah Bolger) is a disturbingly audacious psychotic who deceives her way into the home of a family of 5, as the babysitter, for the parents who are off out for their wedding anniversary celebration dinner.

It appears that Emilie has spent some considerable time planning this deception, along with her co-conspirator boyfriend. We already know they are planning something far more malicious than theft of goods due to the crime committed in first scene, which according to some reviews is not central to the plot. It is very central to the plot, the plot needs careful observation in this movie. We do not see how they planned their crimes, but we do get to see why they planned their crimes in the old stalwart of the movies, the flashbacks.

Evil to the core, the expected mindful guardianship expected by the childrens parents is recklessly abandoned by Emilie and replaced with a calous ambivilence to the childrens morality, enthusiastically enticing the children into doing what their parents would not only not allow, but would be horrified upon discovering what they had been enticed to do.

Enticement soon turns to brazen bullying, which includes both that which is pyshically violenct and that which is mentally and morally obscene.

Jacob (superbly portrayed by Joshua Rush) as the eldest of the siblings at 11 years old, having been unable to contact (A flaw in the plot), or receive help from any adults, is left with the ardous task of getting his siblings and himself safely away from their aggressor.

The plot has perhaps a few too many flaws in it to make for a credible plot, such as the house having a telephone extension (which Emilie appears to have not noticed). Jacob could have called his parents, his neighbour or even 911, having had for much of the time, plenty of opportunities to do so.

It is an intense and disturbing thriller from start to finish, despite it's obvious flaws in the plot. I would have judged a higher score if the said flaws had been better thought out.

Despite packing in an interesting premise & opening on a promising note, Emelie throws everything away in its final minutes to finish as a forgettable horror thriller. The setting is smartly built up, the suspense is effectively sustained for the majority of its runtime but what it lacks & what brings the whole film down eventually is the absence of a proper closure.

The story of Emelie follows the Thompson family that finds the couple going out to celebrate their wedding anniversary, leaving behind their three children in the care of a new babysitter. The kids are instantly enamoured by her as she allows them to do things their parents won't but as night progresses, they soon find out that their caretaker isn't what she claims to be.

Directed by Michael Thelin in what is his directional debut, Emelie takes its time to set up its plot & is often regular with its delivery of brief, unnerving moments from start to finish. It plays on every parent's worst nightmare i.e. leaving one's child in the care of a stranger, and is gripping on more occasions than one. But it could've been so much more if Thelin had figured out a better third act.

Its ominous ambiance is a definite plus as it keeps the tension alive, and the slow relaxed pacing is fitting too as it allows the plot & characters to breathe freely. Another highlight is Sarah Bolger who carries the entire film on her own and delivers a deranged performance. The kids are annoying as expected but a couple of them are nevertheless convincing in their interaction with the babysitter.

On an overall scale, Emelie had all the ingredients to finish as a nail-biting chiller but it tries to get ahead of itself in the final act and pays the price, for that move didn't just work against it but also squandered everything that had transpired before. It really is a shame because there was potential in this material but its decision to cop-out in the end ruins its chances of being counted amongst the better examples of its genre(s).

Initially I thought this film was going to be great, it was unusual, and very different. The atypical babysitter under siege horror this was not, so I applaud them for twisting the original format. Unfortunately after a bright start, where you were left wondering what on Earth was going on, it just fell really flat, the plot made virtually no sense, I mean how on Earth did she know she'd end up there? What was the point in the entire charade? It makes no sense. At times I thought the script was a little tasteless to say the least, putting kids through what she did was unnecessary at times, I didn't care much for it.

So it's a real mixed bag, a great idea, but unfortunately the execution was poor, the acting was great and the production values were strong. Sarah Bolger was the best thing about it.

Too many wasted opportunities. 5/10

A well-filmed psychological thriller with horror elements interests the first two-thirds of the timing, and then slides into something standard and seen many, many times. Of the actors, only Sarah Bolger is worth noting. Children play rather themselves and are not particularly remembered. In general, a strong middle peasant. View and put on the shelf.