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★★★★
Directed by: Blake Ridder
Written by: Blake Ridder
Starring: Emily Redpath, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Louis James, Blake Ridder
A young woman visits her friend, who lives with her boyfriend in the countryside. She discovers that something is seriously wrong.
Grace (Redpath) has just split up with her boyfriend and decides to visit her friend Liv (Marks), who she has not seen in a while. Liv is residing in a house, in the countryside with her boyfriend Edward (James). At first everything seems normal, but as the story progresses it becomes evident that something sinister is going on.
Help begins as a drama, then becomes a psychological thriller, with elements of horror. Grace picks up more and more clues that reveal trouble in that household, such as finding some blood here and there, hearing commotion at night and suspecting that someone might be watching the house. The suspense and tension builds up more and more, until things finally culminate in a heart-stopping climax.
This feature explores themes of domestic violence, adultery, friendship, relationships and revenge. It contains an engaging plot, interesting characters, many scenes of confrontation, nail-biting moments and the audience will be very keen to know how things are going to turn out. There are conversations that describe sexual experiences in detail and a sex scene. There is also a considerable amount of violence and gore.
The acting is terrific, creating great scenes and character development. Redpath, Marks and James do a fantastic job in bringing their characters' emotions to life, building drama and tension.
Director Ridder himself is rather convincing as David, a socially awkward neighbor.
Ridder does a wonderful job as director, producing wonderful establishing shots. Ruth Chan's music successfully supports the tone of the film. The score is atmospheric, tender and tense. Credit also goes to the makeup artists, who create wounds that look realistic and grotesque.
Ridder has made a picture worthy of a great deal of praise and recognition. His screenplay is filled with interesting characters, well-written dialogue and unexpected plot twists. The suspense will grab the viewer's attention and keep them guessing until the end.
Trailer:
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