Case 39 (2009)

A social worker fights to save a girl from her abusive parents, only to discover that the situation is more dangerous than she ever expected.

Director:

Christian Alvart

Writer:

Ray Wright

Stars:

Renée Zellweger, Jodelle Ferland, Ian McShane

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Renée Zellweger	...	Emily Jenkins
Jodelle Ferland	...	Lilith Sullivan
Ian McShane	...	Det. Mike Barron
Bradley Cooper	...	Doug
Callum Keith Rennie	...	Edward Sullivan
Adrian Lester	...	Wayne
Kerry O'Malley	...	Margaret Sullivan
Cynthia Stevenson	...	Nancy
Alexander Conti	...	Diego
Philip Cabrita	...	Javier
Vanesa Tomasino	...	Javier's Wife
Mary Black	...	Custody Judge
Domenico D'Ambrosio	...	Plainclothes Cop
Benita Ha	...	Therapist
J. Winston Carroll	...	Judge (as John Carroll)

Storyline

"Case 39" centers on an idealistic social worker who saves an abused 10-year-old girl from her parents only to discover that the girl is not as innocent as she thinks.

---

Plot Keywords:

social worker | tire iron | thunderstorm | alarm clock | detective | 

---

Taglines:

They'll never stop. October 1

---

Genres:

Horror | Mystery | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence and terror including disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

MySpace Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 October 2010 (USA)

Also Known As:

Caso 39

Filming Locations:

Burbank, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$27,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$5,350,570 (USA) (2 October 2010)

Gross:

$13,248,477 (USA) (12 November 2010)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Vantage, Misher Films, Anonymous Content

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Christian Alvart:  [mirror shot]  As Doug (Bradley Cooper) pulls hornets out of his right ear with a cotton swab, Doug is reflected by three mirrors, effectively showing him four times from all angles (and the hornets as well).

---

Goofs

As the sleeping Lilith is being carried downstairs towards the kitchen by her father, her head and arms are hanging down as he has his left arm under her back. In the next shot as his wife opens the kitchen door, his left arm is now around Lilith, holding her by the arm and her head is up on his chest. Then in the final shot as they move across the kitchen, her head and arms are hanging down again as in the first shot.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Lillith Sullivan: [waking] I can see you.

---

Connections

Featured in Great Movie Mistakes III: Not in 3D (2011)

---

Soundtracks

"Like Dat"
Written by Stat Quo (as Stanley Benton), Gerald Griffin & Lt. Mo (as Todd Moore)
Performed by Stat Quo
Courtesy of Interscope Records
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

A suspenseful film, full of threat and uncertainty

This film is about a social worker taking a young girl into her home, as the girl's parents tried to kill her.

Though Renee Zellweger is not particularly convincing as a social worker, she conveys her feeling of threat very well, making her stressed out character vivid. The plot is good, as at first it makes you feel so sympathetic and sorry for the girl, then it slowly prepares you for something entirely different. The story is so engaging and scary, that I wanted to see more of what's going to happen, yet I wanted to see less because it's scary. "Case 39" is successful in creating a suspenseful atmosphere, full of threat and uncertainty. I don't know why "Case 39" is having trouble getting distribution and and a release date, as I find it a very scary horror film.