Frailty

Frailty

"God has selected our family for a special purpose", claims the father of Fenton and Adam Meeks after being visited by an angel one evening. So starts this tighly woven, surprisingly well-crafted suspense film.

Filming and editing are brilliant. Dark and rural, every corner turned is a cautious step into deeper foreboding. Much like Memento, scenes are assembled in a strategic and precise manner making more sense in hindsight. Flipping back and forth from present to past is a daunting task for film editors, it can easily fall down and become tedious. I was most impressed with the seamless progression of the film without the necessity of a sequential timeline.


Matthew McConaughey does an excellent job of delivering accounts from his childhood with a unnerving deadpan stares and nary a variation in vocal tone. Quite the departure from his roles in other films. I'm partial to McConaughey if only because he is a rebellious sort from Texas. But what impressed me about him in this film was his ability to walk a razor's edge in not disclosing whether he was the good guy or a sociopath. While the script takes you down one particular path there is still the nagging question -- what makes him so numb? Was he so damaged emotionally from the horrific acts of his father that he no longer feels emotion? Or does he just not value human life? I was fooled. The outcome left goosebumps. The ending was truly the most subtle and frightening one imaginable.

Beyond the plot details and script the film dredged up some long standing faceoffs between religion, morality and fanaticism.

Funny what can happen when a good idea goes unchecked and is allowed to grow under an unintended environment.


Overall: 9/10, invite someone who frightens easily ;)