Monday, September 21, 2009

The Children (2008)


You brought them into this world, they'll take you out...

A nice idea, realised a little imperfectly. Two sisters and their young families meet for an upper middle class New Year celebration in a mock-Tudor mansion somewhere in the English countryside...with patchy mobile phone reception.

The group includes — just for starters — a slightly creepy autistic four-year old, a stroppy teenager and her mother's 'new bloke'.. 'a bit of a nob' according to the aforementioned young lady.

Why these little horrors turn into murderers proper is never fully explained; perhaps a virus.

In exploring which parts of children's behaviour is inherently disruptive and disturbing and which might, given a little microbic nudge, turn truly malicious, Tom Shankland's script is certainly on to something. I would have just liked to see a bit more of this though.

I also felt that other themes such as the stroppy teen's flirtation with her uncle and the lifestyle and outlook conflicts between the two couples are left a little under-developed, even though the build-up section itself feels a little overlong.

Grade: B+


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