I drove up to Wichita to check out a special private screening of "Baby's Breath" 'cause I read about it on the website. The story involves the ghost of a little girl and a brutal killer and the ghost's inability to ID said killer because she can only communicate in baby talk. I can't say too much more because it would give away a couple of the movie's surprises, one in particular that caught me completely off-guard! What I will say is that despite the story's obvious horror elements, the narrative seems driven by a series of conflicts between people with real motivations and what Harlan Ellison calls "tell-tale tics and tremors." For instance, Dr. Jake, the hero, is a hardened cynic stricken by grief, and Garon Pierce, the principal antagonist, is both creepy and aggravating, yet his actions seem totally understandable.
The good news for all the fans I've chatted with on the web is, this film really creeped me out; the script is strong, full of nice twists and turns, and the production's low budget feel that gave the story a kind of haunting immediacy. I liked the way the image desaturated and turned cold whenever the child's ghost appeared, and her visitations were always announced by eerie whispers that seemed to surround the audience. The film did have a few minor technical issues, but I was caught up in the story and was able to move forward without dwelling on those issues. There was also a scene near the end that could have been written out but it's not too distracting.
all in all, a good movie and I'm looking forward to watching this again ... *** out of 4.
