As most good thrillers will, Abandon delivers the suspense at it's own pace- slow and deliberate. Sadly in this day and age the movie going audience doesn't want that opting instead for "fast and furious". If you want a movie at warp speed this isn't for you, however if you like intelligent writing, unique direction, and solid acting then Abandon is definitely worth your attention.
Katie Holmes is Catherine, a senior in college struggling to finish her thesis and move into the post-academic world. Haunted, literally and figuratively, by the disappearance of her boyfriend Embry, a rich artiste with a penchant for elaborate theatrics. Embry's missing persons case falls in the lap of Detective Wade Handler (Benjamin Bratt) a recovering alcoholic who is equally haunted by something that may (or may not) have happened in a drunken episode.
The beauty of Abandon is the way characters that would normally be cartoonish representations of college students are in fact real people. They speak like actual college students, they party like actual college students, and they have fears like actual college students. The adult characters are likewise fleshed out (though Fred Ward is essentially wasted in the film, appearing in only two scenes).
Most of the criticism of Abandon that I have read picks at the ending. While I did figure out the plot half way through the film (which usually spells trouble), the reveal is done in a way that doesn't cheat the audience.
Katie Holmes is Catherine, a senior in college struggling to finish her thesis and move into the post-academic world. Haunted, literally and figuratively, by the disappearance of her boyfriend Embry, a rich artiste with a penchant for elaborate theatrics. Embry's missing persons case falls in the lap of Detective Wade Handler (Benjamin Bratt) a recovering alcoholic who is equally haunted by something that may (or may not) have happened in a drunken episode.
The beauty of Abandon is the way characters that would normally be cartoonish representations of college students are in fact real people. They speak like actual college students, they party like actual college students, and they have fears like actual college students. The adult characters are likewise fleshed out (though Fred Ward is essentially wasted in the film, appearing in only two scenes).
Most of the criticism of Abandon that I have read picks at the ending. While I did figure out the plot half way through the film (which usually spells trouble), the reveal is done in a way that doesn't cheat the audience.