Richard and Mary Portman (Naomi Watts) have an unruly teen child, Stephen (Charlie Heaton) so they are "shipping you off to military school with that... g-d- Finkelstein... s**t kid!" or something like that. As dad is driving his son away, they get into a tussle..."Hey stop touching me!" kiss a truck and the next thing you know dad is history and Stephen is somewhat catatonic being cared by Mary, who is actually his step-mother. Fortunately her office is next door. Tom (Jacob Tremblay) a hard of hearing nine year old who doesn't wear any type of unsightly hearing aide, is one of her patients. On his trip to Boston, he runs away and shows up at her door in the cold and snow.
Mary has issues. She has dreams where she kills or injures Stephen. She also has those realistic dreams where she thinks someone is in the house and everyone has this figured out except for her. Long time actor Oliver Platt has a small role as a doctor.
Watts did her normally great Oscar style performance for a film nobody is going to see. Unfortunately the plot was lame and formula. A second issue is that half the movie is filmed at night in candle light or filtered moonlight. You literally miss seeing scenes and have to figure out what is happening from the sound. Where is Tom Bodett when you need him? Guide: F-word. No sex. IMDb claims nudity, but it was dark and from the side.
Mary has issues. She has dreams where she kills or injures Stephen. She also has those realistic dreams where she thinks someone is in the house and everyone has this figured out except for her. Long time actor Oliver Platt has a small role as a doctor.
Watts did her normally great Oscar style performance for a film nobody is going to see. Unfortunately the plot was lame and formula. A second issue is that half the movie is filmed at night in candle light or filtered moonlight. You literally miss seeing scenes and have to figure out what is happening from the sound. Where is Tom Bodett when you need him? Guide: F-word. No sex. IMDb claims nudity, but it was dark and from the side.