Will believes his wife Rosalind is innocent of their son’s suspected murder, only to discover the devastating truth behind her past links her to another unsolved crime.
There are actually some very good parts of this somewhat confusing film, and the cast definitely makes the top of that rather short list. “The Square’s” Claes Bang personifies the husband Will, mystified by the mental incapacities his new wife begins to exhibit after the birth of their son Amadeo. Rosalind, his wife, who has twin girls from her first marriage, is played by Olga Kurylenko. The role requires believable mental illness which Ms. Kurylenko, a former “Bond girl,” produces. When Rosalind takes a dramatic tumble and the fall initiates an early delivery of their son, she undergoes an emergency c-section and is not awake when the birth occurs. At this point, the audience is intentionally diverted to a different expectation of what is happening, as her husband is hurried out of the delivery room. Peering through a small window in a door, the tone of the film shifts to worry and seemingly a sense of ominous dread as we look in with Will and see the nurses exchanging grim looks immediately following the birth. But, baby Amadeo is fine, and we see him in his hospital crib with seemingly no lasting effects from his early entry into the world.
Oh, but then, to add to the already dire expectations, Rosalind now divulges she believes she gave birth to twin boys and one was stillborn. Will is bewildered as she slips down and down into what is first assumed to be severe postpartum psychosis where nothing seems to help. Milton, her former stepfather, and now agent for her artwork, is aptly played by Brian Cox of “Succession” fame. He is protective of her almost to the point of possessiveness with a hint of malevolence added in. What is he holding back and why? That is the story thread to catch onto and try to follow.
However, another diversion transpires as Rosalind disappears with all three children while Will is away on a short business trip. In her studio at their house, he finds the ominous word “LIAR” scrawled across an item and intended as a message for him. Wow. Now the audience is seemingly being led to suspect maybe there was a second baby who died and Will is somehow, for some unknown reason, hiding the fact from his wife. A bit of a stretch with little or no basis in fact, but it does start some to wonder if he’s OK.
It’s at this point the threads of the mystery begin to unwind in every direction and the audience is both led and misled across the Channel to France where Will finally locates the girls and Rosalind in a creepy, completely broken-down old house, Beau Rev. Why did she go there? Well, it holds a trove of memories for the woman whose mental and emotional condition mirrors the condition of the house. The twin girls are discovered pushing Amadeo’s trash-filled pram with the dead infant at the bottom of it all. At this point, the writer and director must keep very tight control of the unfolding plot and various subplots or chaos ensues. That necessary control isn’t there and there ensues a rush to tie up all the loose ends that are flapping everywhere.
However, the pivotal scene of the movie is filmed in quite a provocative real “hall of mirrors” and does effectively snatch one’s attention in a semi-powerful moment. This film is an interesting evening’s entertainment, in spite of its drawbacks, which are partially due to script and directing. Even though it is overstuffed with unnecessary diversions, that confuse rather than entice, it’s worth your time for an hour and a half in a comfortable chair or ensconced on a good sofa.
Available on DVD & Digital HD September 28th
