My heart’s all Agutter…
NOTE: Netflix is taking down virtually all of their MGM titles on May 1st, so I thought it might be fun to see how many I can watch in the next two weeks, and then post quick, little hit-and-run reviews here. Hope you enjoy, and if you want to see any of these movies and have Netflix, better watch ’em now!
Taking inspiration from Alfred Hitchcock’s Shadow of a Doubt, I Start Counting features a young Jenny Agutter as the adopted Wynne, a reserved Catholic schoolgirl who has a little crush on her much older stepbrother George, played by Bryan Marshall. Several young girls are being found murdered near their old house, and after witnessing her brother acting suspiciously, Wynne begins worrying he may be the culprit. The film attempts to explore the idealizing fantasy image presented by adolescent love and the reality of what love really means, but is far too confused as a narrative to congeal its themes together into a satisfying whole. The film exists somewhere in between coming-of-age story and thriller, but never quite finds the middle ground between the two - resulting in a rather disjointed viewing experience. Still, Agutter and the rest of the cast perform admirably, and the film does have scenes and ideas worthy of deeper discussion.
No comments:
Post a Comment