Nobody does thinly veiled violence quite like Bob Hoskins, and nobody does naive but resilient like Elaine Cassidy, so when they both come together in a film, it's going to be electric to watch.
Atom Egoyan sticks closely to the original William Trevor story, lifting most of the dialogue directly from the page. He recreates Felicia's increasing desperation as she tries to find the young man who has got her pregnant, the claustrophobia of the web that apparently harmless Mr. Hilditch weaves around her. You know there's something not quite right about him, but the whole story gives itself up slowly.
Egoyan strays from the book in the introduction of Hilditch's mother, a 1950s TV cook (a kind of pre-feminist Delia Smith). We see her in flashback and on the videos Hilditch slavishly follows when he's preparing food. Frankly, I don't think that this adds anything - is it meant to explain why he's like he is? Trevor feels no need to explain Hilditch's behaviour, which makes him more of a monster and much scarier.
The only other thing that slightly spoils what is otherwise a superb film is the heavy handed use at times of a mystical sounding, sub Clannad soundtrack, which is meant to invoke "Irishness", but is totally unnecessary.
But those really are small complaints. Hoskins is excellent as a man who preys on vulnerable girls, and Cassidy is phenomenal in what was her first main picture. Incredibly, she was only 18 when she made it.
Atom Egoyan sticks closely to the original William Trevor story, lifting most of the dialogue directly from the page. He recreates Felicia's increasing desperation as she tries to find the young man who has got her pregnant, the claustrophobia of the web that apparently harmless Mr. Hilditch weaves around her. You know there's something not quite right about him, but the whole story gives itself up slowly.
Egoyan strays from the book in the introduction of Hilditch's mother, a 1950s TV cook (a kind of pre-feminist Delia Smith). We see her in flashback and on the videos Hilditch slavishly follows when he's preparing food. Frankly, I don't think that this adds anything - is it meant to explain why he's like he is? Trevor feels no need to explain Hilditch's behaviour, which makes him more of a monster and much scarier.
The only other thing that slightly spoils what is otherwise a superb film is the heavy handed use at times of a mystical sounding, sub Clannad soundtrack, which is meant to invoke "Irishness", but is totally unnecessary.
But those really are small complaints. Hoskins is excellent as a man who preys on vulnerable girls, and Cassidy is phenomenal in what was her first main picture. Incredibly, she was only 18 when she made it.
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