Family

The dangerous escapee Jean Clarkson (Renée Humphrey) reaches a gas station and hitchhikes. Eldon (Boyd Kestner) and his young son Cole (Tanner Ritchie) that are traveling together in a road trip to learn the real America give a ride to her. When Cole stays alone with Jean, he tells that Eldon has abducted him and is not his father and asks her to help him. Jean feels a dilemma but she decides to risk her freedom to help her boy. Along the journey, Jean discloses that Eldon is an unstable man and does not hesitate to kill whoever tries to separate him from Cole.

"Family" is a low-budget movie with a bleak beginning when a criminal takes a ride with an insane abductor and none of them two knows that the other is not telling the truth. The plot becomes tense when the boy reveals that his name is Jeremy and the man is not his father. The second half of the story is weaker but not bad and in the end this film is a pleasant surprise. The open conclusion is very intelligent and unusual in American movies. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Família do Mal" ("Evil Family")

I liked this movie, even though I knew nothing of it prior to viewing.

It is genuinely creepy for the first half, as you do not quite know who these characters are - towards the second part of the movie the general idea becomes revealed.

The interactions between the three main characters are well done and one senses a change taking place in the female lead.

I did find the voice repetition annoying and there were somewhat too many shootings. But the characters never end up over-acting or over-stating themselves; usually a problem in this type of film.

It's a movie that takes you into the predicament and is entertaining.