Dark Places (2015)

Libby Day was only eight years old when her family was brutally murdered in their rural Kansas farmhouse. Almost thirty years later, she reluctantly agrees to revisit the crime and uncovers the wrenching truths that led up to that tragic night.

Director:

Gilles Paquet-Brenner

Writers:

Gilles Paquet-Brenner (written for the screen by), Gillian Flynn (novel)

Stars:

Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Christina Hendricks

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Charlize Theron	...	Libby Day
Sterling Jerins	...	Young Libby Day
Nicholas Hoult	...	Lyle Wirth
Christina Hendricks	...	Patty Day
Corey Stoll	...	Ben Day
Tye Sheridan	...	Young Ben Day
Andrea Roth	...	Diondra
Chloë Grace Moretz	...	Young Diondra
Sean Bridgers	...	Runner Day
J. LaRose	...	Trey Teepano (as J LaRose)
Shannon Kook	...	Young Trey Teepano
Jennifer Pierce Mathus	...	Diane
Natalie Precht	...	Michelle Day
Madison McGuire	...	Debby Day
Lori Z. Cordova	...	Magda

Storyline

Libby Day is a lifeless woman who survived the massacre of her family in their farmhouse in the countryside of Kansas when she was eight. She's been living on donations and lectures ever since. Thirty years ago, the police believed that a satanic cult was responsible for the murder of her mother and two sisters, and her brother Ben was convicted with her testimony in court. Today, however, an acquaintance, Lyle Wirth, invites Libby to visit "The Kill Club", where amateurs investigate famous crimes, and she finds that they believe Ben is innocent. Libby needs money and, in return, accepts to revisit the slaughter of her family and comes up to the painful revelations and the ultimate truth.

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Plot Keywords:

private investigator | murder of family | farm | murder of mother | oral sex | 

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Taglines:

In 1985, her entire family was murdered. 30 years later, the truth emerges.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some disturbing violence, language, drug use and sexual content

Did You Know?

Trivia

Many actresses would have had to think about their motivation to perform the lead role in "Dark Places". Charlize Theron's motivation was less remote. One night at age 15, in her Johannesburg, South Africa home where she lived with her parents, her drunken, alcoholic father attacked the mother and fired a gun at both of them. Charlize fled the house after which the mother, armed with her own gun, shot back and killed her husband in what was later judged to be self-defense.

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Goofs

When Young Ben is on the witness stand, the Kansas flag is on his right and the U.S. flag is on his left. By law, the U.S. flag should be on the flag's own right (the observer's left) and any other flag on the observer's right.

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Quotes

[last lines]
Libby Day: Ben learned something in his prison that I never learned in mine. Forgiveness. My mom told us to make a useful life. Nothing big. Nothing grand. Just a start. Finally, a start.

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Connections

Featured in Bringing 'Dark Places' to Light (2015)

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Soundtracks

Keep Your Hands to Yourself
Written by Dan Baird
Performed by The Georgia Satellites
Courtesy of Elektra Entertainment Group
By arrangement with Warner Music Group Film & TV Licensing

User Reviews

Decent And Enjoyable Enough

Dark Places (like a lot of movies, I guess) won't be everyone's cup of tea as it's a pretty slow-paced Thriller that concentrates on a decent cast delivering a good story. If you're more into faster-paced films then you more than likely won't enjoy this.

The story sees Charlize Theron play Libby Day, a young woman who believes that her brother brutally killed her mother and sister when she was 8-years-old. When Lyle Wirth (played by Nicholas Hoult), a member of a crime investigative group, manages to get in touch with Libby, and starts to provide possible evidence on what actually happened, Libby starts to doubt her own recollection of what actually happened that fateful day.

The story may sound a bit dull & unoriginal, but it plays out better than it initially sounds, and it also gets better as it unravels. It's also a story that you have to pay attention to, especially with the flash backs as there is no immediate indication the flash backs have started (but it doesn't take a genius to figure out when a flashback scene is being played). So, with the jumping back & forward from past to present, you do need to watch it carefully to get what is fully going on. Also, while there is no twist as such, the story does keep you guessing as to how it will pan out.

The cast all do a decent job with their individual parts as well, from Theron's performance as Libby Day, a woman who finds it hard to trust anyone and has become a bit of a recluse, to Chloë Grace Moretz's performance of a young manipulative Diondra. Put a decent cast in to deliver a decent story and you have yourself a pretty enjoyable movie.

As I mentioned earlier, it is a pretty slow-paced Thriller, and while I don't mind watching these, there were a few scenes where I thought it dragged a wee bit, but for the most part it is interesting and enjoyable enough.

It's not the best film you'll ever see, but Dark places is a good film that is definitely worth a watch.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA UK France

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 June 2015 (USA)

Also Known As:

Dark Places

Filming Locations:

Shreveport, Louisiana, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$208,588

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$5,090,852

Company Credits

Production Co:

Exclusive Media Group, Mandalay Vision, Cuatro Plus Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1