Loved this movie. I originally watched this quite a while ago so some details I've forgotten, but I absolutely remember the feeling that this movie gave me.
FIRST, one of the great parts about this movie is simply what it makes you feel - anxiety, confusion, fear, tension. Because of this, I would suggest NOT reading any spoilers until you watch it. Having some idea of what is coming could impact the way that you experience the extremes in this movie and those extremes are what made it interesting to watch in the first place. If you just have to know something about it, read on although I try not to get too specific. If not, watch it before you read the reviews. If you're just looking for a good movie, this is a good movie if you have a liking for thrillers and edge-of-your-seat keep-you-in-suspense stuff. There's also some sexual content.
Karen is a teenager with impaired vision. She sees outlines and can perceive differences in light and shadow enough to get around with the help of an ambulatory aid. As you'll see pretty quickly, Karen lives with her paternal grandmother and has while her father, a doctor, is enveloped in a sex scandal of sorts. There's some tension between Karen and her grandmother beginning early in the movie as Karen and her grandmother travel together to visit a rental property. The tension only escalates when Karen encounters their off-the-grid, squatter neighbor "Ted" in the wooded area around the home.
You think what you're getting is the story of a defenseless young girl at the mercy of a dangerous stranger out in the woods, but its not nearly that clear cut. You think you know whats happening and then you wake up with Karen inside a closet in the home and you're lost. Just when you think you have it again, the story twists in another direction and you're scrambling to keep up. When the story comes to its crescendo, you're left wondering whats real and whats not. The movie doesn't leave you hanging, though - all is explained in the end and you realize what a deep, dark, hopeless hell Karen's short life has been. The movie reminds you that sometimes there's no happy ending in life and that our crimes come at a cost, although the toll isn't always exacted on the guilty.
This probably isn't a movie for the squeamish. There are some extremely brutal scenes and the movie is underscored by a terrifying theme of incredible cruelty towards a child.
