Baby Blues (2008/II)

Directors:

Lars E. Jacobson (co-director)
Amardeep Kaleka (co-director)

Writer:

Lars E. Jacobson (writer)

Release Date:

5 August 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Thriller

Tagline:

On a secluded family farm, a mother suffers a psychotic break due to postpartum depression, forcing the eldest son to protects his siblings from the mother they have always loved.

Plot:

On a secluded family farm, a mother suffers a psychotic break due to postpartum depression, forcing the eldest son to protect his sibling from the mother they have always known and loved.

Cast

Colleen Porch	...	Mom
Ridge Canipe	...	Jimmy
Joel Bryant	...	Dad
Kali Majors	...	Cathy
Holden Thomas Maynard	...	Sammy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sean Johnson	...	Friend
Chip Lane	...	Kid's Father
Noelle Monteleone	...	Resident intern
Braxton Williams	...	Resident Intern
Gene Witham	...	Lester

Runtime:

USA:85 min

Country:

USA

Filming Locations:

Savannah, Georgia, USA

Company:

Lab 601

Very impressive work

This film may remind The Night of the Hunter, not only because of the same theme of a kid fighting an adult and trying to protect siblings, but also for the quality of suspense, directing and acting.

There are differences. Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum) is a dangerous fanatic, who is after money. He is full of hate, but not completely insane. So, Colleen Porch, excellent as the mother affected by baby blues, is more to compare to Jack Torrance in The Shining, or the woman in À L'Intérieur (Inside). You can feel the same progression of their tormented mind until the irreversible point where schizophrenia takes over and they plunge into madness.

The frightening atmosphere and violence of Haute Tension (High Tension) is also there. Corn fields at night have been used in many films, and here again in a scary chase. There are in fact, many individual elements that have been seen elsewhere, such as Mom breaking the door with a chopper, similar to Jack using an axe in The Shining, and more that I will let you identify easily. But it would be a mistake to think that the director/writer has just stolen ideas from other films of this category. He has made a terrific job, because more than in many of these films, the story is actually believable. It says during the opening that it is based on actual events. It is possible, even if it cannot be the exact story as shown in the film.

For all those who enjoyed the masterpieces of terror that I mentioned, and to which it can be compared, I strongly suggest to watch it.