Director: Joseph Ruben
Starring: Julianne Moore, Dominic West, Gary Sinise, Anthony Edwards, Alfre Woodard
Running Time: 94 minutes
Synopsis: In New York City, Telly (Julianne Moore) is still grieving the loss of her 9-year-old son Sam, who died in a plane crash 14 months prior. Her husband Jim (Anthony Edwards) provides limited emotional support, and so Telly leans on her therapist Dr. Munce (Gary Sinise). When photographs and videos of Sam suddenly disappear, Telly believes that Jim is tormenting her, and Dr. Munce provides a diagnosis of delusion - Sam never existed. But then Telly connects with former professional hockey player Ash (Dominic West), who lost his daughter in the same plane crash, and together they race to find answers, chased by federal agents and monitored by supernatural forces.
What Works Well: The opening 30 minutes establish a promising premise exploring the intersection of excruciating grief and mental well-being. The cast is rich with talent, and Julianne Moore is well above this material.
What Does Not Work As Well: The middle act features a numbing sequence of repetitive chases, discarding the psychological set-up for cheap and routine action. But the wheels completely fall off in the final third. The introduction of an omnipotent alien abduction theme is awful at a dumbfounding level, both as an idea and in execution, catapulting the plot into ludicrous territory and hopelessly stranding the characters in an unsalvageable mess.
Key Quote:
Telly: Do you get drunk every night?
Ash: No. Sometimes I'm drunk by noon.
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