Firstly, although the plot of the film doesn’t have much to offer until the 40-minute mark – up until this point it’s mostly Naomi Watts drinking tea and has the occasional jump scare – the performances are good. Watts easily plays a caring character and is easy to sympathise with, and Heaton gives off a creepy vibe that the film benefitted from since it doesn’t provide much tension in its other aspects. Film fans may also appreciate references to ‘The Shining’, and the Hitchcockian turn that the story eventually takes.
There’s one huge problem with this film, which is what really lets it down beyond anything else – it feels incredibly empty in terms of plot. It seems less like it’s using a slow pace to create tension, but rather because the writer ran out of ideas to fill It out. As I previously mentioned, not much happens until 40 minutes in, and this is an hour and a half film. Not only that, but the twist is incredibly predictable to the extent where you can guess what will happen after watching it for about 15 minutes. The drama side of the film is more interesting than the horror, and could have had the potential to become a good commentary on care-giving if it had gone in that direction instead.
Overall, this is a well-made film on the surface but the plot is seriously lacking. The performances and the drama at least make it watchable, but it’s probably the kind of thing you’d just have playing in the background while you’re checking your social media.