Looking back on the horror film field in 2016, there are many excellent works that shine: "Hold Your Breath", "After Turning Off the Lights", "The Green Room", "The Conjuring 2", "The Cry", "Train to Busan", " 10 Cloverfield Lane, The Intimidation Campaign, The Witch... each has its own flaws, but they are all terrifying masterpieces worth watching. It is a pity that the horror film "Confinement" released on the day of Double Eleven in the United States has become a third-rate horror film, which not only has a poor box office, but also has a terrible reputation.
The film is by Naomi Watts, who has appeared in many horror thrillers such as "The Bell in the US", "Mulholland Drive", "Fun Games", "Dream House", and the male lead of "Room". Jacob Tremblay starred alongside Charlie Heaton, who played Jonathan in Stranger Things. The story tells the story of Portman, a child psychologist played by Naomi. After her husband and stepson experienced a car accident, the husband died and the stepson became a vegetable; she later met Tom, a deaf boy, but then the boy disappeared, but Often appearing in her dreams, and sounds coming from the room make her think someone is in her room. Until the plot develops to two-thirds of the way, the truth is revealed.
You could say it's a psychological thriller. The suspense setting is obvious at a glance. After the car accident, the film does not explain in detail the state of the stepson, or how much he perceives the world around him, so there is room for plot reversal.
But the scariest part is the sound effects. You have absolutely no idea when you're going to hear a deafening clang, maybe the moment you see the heroine turn around, or the moment the flashlight hits the ground. But it was nothing but a lost raccoon at most.
It's like the two dreams that the heroine had in the first half. Once, she pressed her stepson in the water, trying to suffocate him to death; What do these two dreams indicate? One interpretation is that she wants to escape the shackles of her stepson (in the first half she has already revealed a disgust for taking care of her stepson), another interpretation is the sense of crisis that the stepson brings to Naomi. Both interpretations point to the heroine's state of mind: she has no feelings for her stepson. Surrounded by such emotions, she was able to focus entirely on protecting Tom, and finally hurt her stepson. But what is the use of these two dreams? Judging from the daily life of the heroine shown in the film, most of the time she is working or socializing, but she only comes to work when the alarm clock rings when it is time to serve her stepson.
Also meaningless is her work partner, whose role in the film can be replaced by the patient's parents who admire her or in other ways.
In addition to these highlights that are either pointless or a waste of time, the portrayal of the characters is also a major failure of the film. The relationship between the heroine and her stepson can only be seen from the opening and a small amount of dialogue in the middle; other than that, there is no foreshadowing. If it weren't for the remarkable performance of Charlie Heaton, the film would be even more inexplicable.
Likewise, the acting skills of Naomi Watts and Jacob Tremblay were completely buried. With the slow and protracted chase scene, I just wish Naomi would hack her stepson to death sooner; the plot doesn't give Jacob enough room to play, so his role in the film is just a silent-looking guy Introverted boy. Only a startling glimpse at the first appearance, then either a few seconds of vistas or being blocked by the stepson, what a waste of their acting skills.
The shocking sound effects, the lengthy foreplay and the thin character characterization, the only thing that can make people shine is only in the second half of the film when the axe cuts the door, chases in the snow, protects the young son, and freezes in the snow. Dead, mentally ill killing clips, because they seem to "pay homage" to Kubrick's "The Shining". It's just that this tribute seems too low-level.
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