LazyLobbyist

I'm giving this a VERY generous 5 stars for reasons I'll get into.

The plot sounds like it could be good: married CEO starts an affair with an intern young enough to be her son. Nicole Kidman? Antonio Banderas? Sex scenes?? Let's watch!

Except...it's boring. The sex scenes aren't very sexy. The chemistry between Ms. Kidman and her younger co-star, Harris Dickinson, is almost non-existent. The sex scenes are awkward and - at times - uncomfortable to watch because of that awkwardness.

The secondary characters - with the exception of Mr. Banderas - are inconsequential. You simply don't care about any of them.

I understand what the filmmakers were trying to do here...but they failed. Miserably. It's like if you were making a cake and you had all the right ingredients...but when you put them together, the cake tasted horrible.

2 stars for Nicole Kidman, who does her best in a bad movie 1 star for Antonio Banderas, because he acted the heck out of his relatively small role 1 star for the unintentionally humorous sex scenes 1 star for Esther McGregor's amazing mullet.

Rather than rehash the plot (masked intruders ruin a family gathering), I'll tell you why you should watch this film.

For starters, "low-budget indie horror" does NOT equal "bad." It simply means you won't see expensive special effects, big sets, and glamorous costumes. But none of those things are needed for a movie to be good. Here's what IS needed:

Good, believable characters - this movie develops its characters more than most. They seem like real people and their interactions are believable - they aren't one-dimensional. Care was put into the writing, not just "oh, who can we kill?"

Good acting - every actor brings their "A" game to the role. They breathe life into the characters and you start to like them, which is unfortunate because then you get to the...

Good kills - every slasher film needs them! And this one has PLENTY. You'll see lots of deaths in fun and exciting ways - don't worry. And the practical effects and make-up look fantastic!

"Go Away" starts off quickly, then dials it back a bit for some character introduction and development, and then ramps up the fun again. It's an enjoyable ride that you'll be glad you took.

Overall rating: 8 stars.