Following an attempted gang rape, beautiful blonde Laura Harris (as Alison) weds handsome blond rescuer Eric Johnson (as Darris Shaw). Understandably, she's a little skittish, so they move to a small town outside of Toronto and plan a simple, safe life. This being a "Lifetime TV" type of movie, you know it's going to be a bumpy ride. Before things get too weird, we see Mr. Johnson and Ms. Harris are also attractive without their clothing. Johnson looks good wearing nothing but a cowboy hat, on his little pony. Harris looks pretty in petals and putting on her robe. They are sexually compatible. She's an aspiring artist and he's into antique restoration and construction. Right away, he gets a job working with creepy Kim Coates (as David Snow)...
We think Mr. Coates must be the serial killer Harris tells her psychiatrist about in the pre-flashback opening teaser...
"This film is based on a true story," we're informed, by lead character Alison Shaw. It's nice to also learn the story was embellished because some of what we see does not seem entirely realistic. By the time things get too strange, embellisher Michael Amo and director Stuart Gillard have suspended our disbelief. Playing her heroine as borderline bonkers, we are not sure if they're going to eventually tell Alison is imagining things. While the framing suggests she survives to tell her tale, she seems more edgy in the "present" scenes. Also, note she "tells" the story with her hair chopped up like Mia Farrow in Roman Polanski's classic "Rosemary's Baby" (1968). And, don't those other characters act like...
The three leading players are perfectly cast and directed by Mr. Gillard. Cinematography by Manfred Guthe is another strength. Several of Mr. Guthe's scenes are quite beautiful. Yet, he and Gillard do not lose the pace and or let arty camera-work take away from telling what is essentially a formula story. They get as close as they can, but do not color outside the lines. Not too shabby.
****** A Friend of the Family (2/2005) Stuart Gillard ~ Laura Harris, Kim Coates, Eric Johnson, Sabrina Grdevich
We think Mr. Coates must be the serial killer Harris tells her psychiatrist about in the pre-flashback opening teaser...
"This film is based on a true story," we're informed, by lead character Alison Shaw. It's nice to also learn the story was embellished because some of what we see does not seem entirely realistic. By the time things get too strange, embellisher Michael Amo and director Stuart Gillard have suspended our disbelief. Playing her heroine as borderline bonkers, we are not sure if they're going to eventually tell Alison is imagining things. While the framing suggests she survives to tell her tale, she seems more edgy in the "present" scenes. Also, note she "tells" the story with her hair chopped up like Mia Farrow in Roman Polanski's classic "Rosemary's Baby" (1968). And, don't those other characters act like...
The three leading players are perfectly cast and directed by Mr. Gillard. Cinematography by Manfred Guthe is another strength. Several of Mr. Guthe's scenes are quite beautiful. Yet, he and Gillard do not lose the pace and or let arty camera-work take away from telling what is essentially a formula story. They get as close as they can, but do not color outside the lines. Not too shabby.
****** A Friend of the Family (2/2005) Stuart Gillard ~ Laura Harris, Kim Coates, Eric Johnson, Sabrina Grdevich