The Girl in the Park

Sixteen years after her daughter is snatched from the park, Julia (Sigourney Weaver) has never recovered and is living a joyless existence, alienated from her remaining family, and friendless in her high-powered job. Then young, beautiful but terminally flaky Louise (Kate Bosworth) enters her life and gradually things improve. Weaver’s performance is commendably brittle and guarded, and the jerky shooting and sombre lighting enhance her uncomfortable relationships with everyone around her. Yet the premise begins to wear increasingly thin as the film becomes overlong and repetitive. The character of Louise also grates as the studiedly eccentric and troubled girl, so over-familiar from recent cinema. Thrilling enough at the start and held together by some convincing performances, the film drags itself flat by the end.

Prudence Ivey