This is a movie about a woman who was sexually abused by her running coach when she was 13 years old. In her adult life, she goes back on her memory and tries to track down the people who were involved in the illicit act. The movie basically runs on two parallel stories: flashbacks and the present life of Laura Dern. While the tempo goes a bit slowly on the present life, the flashbacks are so powerful as to glue the audience to the screen. I was particularly impressed by Jessica Sarah Flaum's performance who appeared as Laura's 13 year old self. In her tender age, her infatuation with her coach, her unconditional adoration towards him although she senses something is not right in that relation and his insidious approach towards her were all played very realistically. Having said that, some suggestive sex scenes were really disturbing as some reviewers complain although a post-script emphasizes that a grownup stunted for the minor in those shots. There's no doubt, the director wanted the audience to be disturbed, if not revolted so that something stuck with them at the end of the movie. Especially her parents indifference to not-so-subtle signs must be a wake-up call to people in similar circumstances. Apparently, most sexual abuses involving a minor follow a fuzzy line where tenderness and care which initially look innocent can easily be manipulated by the predator to fulfill his desires and the movie is very successful in showing that act. On the negative side, Laura's encounter with the abuser years later was cut a bit short and the impact wasn't as great as the story involving her teen years.
