Review of An American Crime (2007) by Mark S — 13 Nov 2011

Disturbing melodrama that is slightly raised above television movie of the week territory by the lead performances of Catherine Keener and Ellen Page. Keener plays a sick and disturbed mother of five who takes in two other girls while their parents are away.

Keener's sanity nosedives after taking them in and Page receives the brunt of the cruelty Keener dishes out. There is no real explanation as to why Keener becomes so emotionally disturbed; but she becomes hard to watch and tolerate.

The film is pieced together by using court transcripts of the actual trial (yes -- this was based on a true story!). Neighbors hear the abuse and the screaming but refuse to do anything about it by instead insisting that it'd be best to not become involved.

The mother was one sick puppy; but to see that her kids began to tolerate it and began to bring other children to their house to play human pin cushion with her is horrifying. The only thing the kids didn't do was break out the popcorn while they had their torturing sessions.

Sick, sick, sick ...