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****
Dir: Ben Young (18, 108 mins)
Gruelling abduction drama from Australia that veers into torture porn territory but manages to subvert and add depth to what could have been merely a horrific exploitation flick. Apparently normal couple Evelyn and John White played chillingly by Emma Booth and Stephen Curry abduct 17-year old Vicki, an excellent Ashleigh Cummings. It’s not the first time they’ve brutalised and killed, but it may be their last as the captor/captive relationship takes disturbing turns with Cummings exploiting cracks in her captor’s relationship and using them to her advantage. Grim and brimming with tension from the off, director Young’s film continually unsettles. The performances of the central trio are unnervingly intense, the camerawork ratcheting up the fear with its languid long movements and the twists of the plot providing no formulaic answers. If you can bear it, this is a top-notch thriller, don’t go expecting a version of the Kate Bush song.
Opens July 7