I don't usually give ratings like this, but this movie had an excellent plot that was completely ruined by an absurd, almost ridiculous ending in the last 10 minutes. It's so absurd that by the end, you don't even care how the story concludes. I loved everything about it up to that point; in fact, I was already thinking about the words I'd use to describe this incredible movie and give it a perfect 10 stars.
The plot builds up plenty of expectations about how the story will unfold and what surprises you're about to witness. From the start, it plays with your mind, making you guess who the real antagonists are. I found that interesting and enjoyable. However, when the ending arrived, it felt like the entire story was built up only for the characters to end in an irrelevant and, at times, contradictory manner. Some characters make decisions completely inconsistent with their established personalities.
There are also meaningless romantic subplots that serve no real purpose in the story. If you were to remove them, it wouldn't change the plot at all. Another baffling element was Savannah's expertise in archery. The movie emphasizes how skilled she is, yet she only uses the bow once. After that, the bow is never seen again, as if it never mattered.
There are also several hand-to-hand combat sequences, and the movie stresses how country folks are supposed to be stronger than city dwellers. At one point, Amy even tells Savannah her hands are covered in calluses, to which Savannah replies that Amy's hands are soft. But during the fight scenes, this supposed difference barely shows, or maybe just in one instance.
To make things worse, there's the cop. At the start and throughout the story, he's depicted as someone who thinks and deduces important things. By the end, he transforms into the classic irrational cop, doing nonsensical things. I honestly don't know what the filmmakers were trying to achieve with the ending or what influenced them to wrap the story up that way. Unfortunately, it's the kind of movie you have no interest in rewatching.
What's most disappointing is that many characters are well-developed and genuinely likable. They have charisma, even Amy at times. But because of the way everything ends, they could have included fewer characters and simplified them without losing much.
To end, I'll leave you with a question: Does Amy have superpowers or some sort of immunity to pain? No matter how much weed she smokes, she's just a delicate teenager tired of her family or at least that's how her character is developed for most of the movie. Yet, in the end, she acts like she's barely scratched. Am I curious about what Amy will do next? No, I'm not.
