Sunday, April 15, 2018

The Abandoned (2006)

I saw this last night and it only made sense after I read what the plot was supposed to be on Wikipedia. That's not a good sign is it? The film is set in Russia and revolves around a character who is returning there after 40 years ago she was abandoned as a baby (along with another baby, who she finds out was her brother). An official tells her he tracked her down and that there is a house and some land for her in rural Russia. She is American. She goes to the house and it is creepy and dilapidated and she meets a man who claims he is her brother. They both want to know about their mother. The film uses time shifts to change the appearance of the house, I suppose its a clever device but it is a bit confusing also. Some scenes are set below the house in what looks like a military tunnel, which is odd. The actors in the film don't really engender much sympathy. Is it a scary film? To give some credit, it doesn't rely on jump scares and tries to use the situation to creep the audience out. It is partly successful but I feel the main problem is that it isn't clear what's happening.


No comments: