rich-106

The villains in the story including a Charlie Mason -type and a sexy villaness make this film a worthwhile view. Also the desert scenery is shot well. The acting all around is also very good.

Be warned that this is a crime story with some serious violence and sex. I cant say it breaks new ground but it was a worthwhile watch. It was a bit of surprise even though I saw it won some awards. It is shot on a small budget but does well wih that. I'm not sure where some other user reviewers got their ideas like it being a Lynch or Hitchcock type movie. That seemed like a stretch but I guess you could find some elements .

The theme seems to be how we should deal with ambiguity in life situations. I usually dislike ambiguous endings but here I accept it because that was the point several situations of the entire movie.

I don't think I any of the following is a spoiler. Was the death murder or suicide? Which spouse was really unfair to the other? Was the husband suffering from depression or not (psychiatrist said no)? Did the physical evidence favor one side or the other? Was the father's conversation with son in the car just about a dog or more? Was the wife lying about a lot of things or not? Based on the given evidence, all of these questions could be answered either way. The movie suggest that in these cases, when forced to choose, just take the one you personally prefer to be true.

The acting is fabulous and the pet dog was an especially nice touch. The movie is also about scenes from a marriage. The psychological aspects in this marriage with child are well-explored in flashbacks and testimony. The discussions touch on the many types of emotions and could reflect on anyone's marriage.

As an aside, jumping off a attic window would be an unlikely way to commit suicide, and usually a suicide note is left behind. But murder seemed unlikely too. So I made up my own third scenario, that he accidentally fell while trying to do some house renovation.