Annie is ten years old and growing up on a farm she has no one. Her father, a backward goat farmer, leaves her on her own. Her mother is dead or has left the house hold. Annie spends her time destroying things, stealing or otherwise being anti-social. One day, she hears a voice in the woods. The voice belongs to Esther, a woman who went out walking and fell down a water well. She pleads with Annie to go get help, but Annie is not convinced she should do just that. Because who says Esther is even human? Maybe she's the devil?
Kid-Thing is strong stuff. A movie that lures us quietly into the life of Annie who seems innocent enough. First we laugh at her antics, like when she places a crank call to Triple A. Slowly but surely though, we understand that this little girl has no moral compass at all and very little empathy. When Esther orders her from deep down in the well to alert the authorities, the only emotion Annie feels is indignation that a stranger should order her around ("You're not the boss of me!").
Trouble is: Annie is not to blame. We see that she is all alone.There's a poignant scene in which she tries to talk to a (blind and handicapped) adult about right and wrong. She doesn't get a satisfactory answer and ends up stealing his wallet.
As played by the terrific young actress Sidney Aguirre Annie never loses our sympathy. Not even during the closing scene, which has a dark poetry and tells us Annie is truly a psychopath in the making.
The film makers – two brothers from Texas – have a great style, full of long, quiet shots and beautiful visual compositions. Their bizarre humor made me think of the Coens. (The Zellner brothers' next film is about a Japanese woman who mistakes the movie Fargo for a treasure map!) I hope this movie will someday find a bigger audience. It certainly deserves it.
Kid-Thing is strong stuff. A movie that lures us quietly into the life of Annie who seems innocent enough. First we laugh at her antics, like when she places a crank call to Triple A. Slowly but surely though, we understand that this little girl has no moral compass at all and very little empathy. When Esther orders her from deep down in the well to alert the authorities, the only emotion Annie feels is indignation that a stranger should order her around ("You're not the boss of me!").
Trouble is: Annie is not to blame. We see that she is all alone.There's a poignant scene in which she tries to talk to a (blind and handicapped) adult about right and wrong. She doesn't get a satisfactory answer and ends up stealing his wallet.
As played by the terrific young actress Sidney Aguirre Annie never loses our sympathy. Not even during the closing scene, which has a dark poetry and tells us Annie is truly a psychopath in the making.
The film makers – two brothers from Texas – have a great style, full of long, quiet shots and beautiful visual compositions. Their bizarre humor made me think of the Coens. (The Zellner brothers' next film is about a Japanese woman who mistakes the movie Fargo for a treasure map!) I hope this movie will someday find a bigger audience. It certainly deserves it.