There's no denying the intensity of the performances of Christopher Reeve and Corey Carrier in this expose of the world of pedophiles and their victims and the world beyond, going as deep as the disgusting world of child pornography. The child of a broken marriage, Carrier ends up in the hands of the very troubled Reeve, an unemployed college professor who manipulates Carrier into going with him which sets off a string of violence when alcoholic mother Meredith Baxter tries to find her son. Ex-husband Wings Hauser and Baxter have a contemptuous relationship and can barely look at each other without accusations and threats. This takes the audience into the dark world that is a pedophiles' mind as well as a huge operation of perversion, represented by Terrence Mann playing a truly vile character.
With Reeve, you see the psychological damage growing as Carrier hides from him, with Reeve breaking down over his failure to gain the little boy's trust. He obviously has his own past of abuse, and as easy as it is to feel sorry for him, you can't help but despise him for not getting help. Veteran actresses Geraldine Fitzgerald (as an eccentric cat lady) and Shirley Knight (as a drunken friend of Baxter's) adds detail to the frightening situation that is often far too depressing to watch unfold.
As I began to watch this film, I wondered how the writers could portray without truly disgusting the audience the actions of a pedophile. There is no molestation, just the threat of it, and as gentle as Reeve is with Carrier at the beginning, he gets even more threatening and angry as his inability to get what he wants starts to fail. Certainly the brave decision of Reeve to take this character to the farthest depths of despair makes watching him mesmerizing and it's impossible to hate him even though his intentions are sinister and sick.
How can you resolve this problem for his character yet give closure to his victim becomes a tough detail, and of course, there are three victims: an innocent child of course and the troubled and flawed parents who show their own breakdown approaching as they realize the true terror going on that they have no control over. It's a difficult film to like but it's an even more difficult film to turn away from.
With Reeve, you see the psychological damage growing as Carrier hides from him, with Reeve breaking down over his failure to gain the little boy's trust. He obviously has his own past of abuse, and as easy as it is to feel sorry for him, you can't help but despise him for not getting help. Veteran actresses Geraldine Fitzgerald (as an eccentric cat lady) and Shirley Knight (as a drunken friend of Baxter's) adds detail to the frightening situation that is often far too depressing to watch unfold.
As I began to watch this film, I wondered how the writers could portray without truly disgusting the audience the actions of a pedophile. There is no molestation, just the threat of it, and as gentle as Reeve is with Carrier at the beginning, he gets even more threatening and angry as his inability to get what he wants starts to fail. Certainly the brave decision of Reeve to take this character to the farthest depths of despair makes watching him mesmerizing and it's impossible to hate him even though his intentions are sinister and sick.
How can you resolve this problem for his character yet give closure to his victim becomes a tough detail, and of course, there are three victims: an innocent child of course and the troubled and flawed parents who show their own breakdown approaching as they realize the true terror going on that they have no control over. It's a difficult film to like but it's an even more difficult film to turn away from.