Review of Bereavement (2010) by Jose V — 16 Aug 2013

While I do think the film makes effective use of its atmosphere, for the most part, and it is well made with some solid cinematography, ultimately this movie did absolutely nothing for me. The main reason I didn't enjoy this movie was that there wasn't really a reason for anything that was happening.

Of course if you're arguing for a more believable story, you could pull out the 'well, things in life happen for no reason sometimes'. And I think movies can get away with this if they're told effectively and you're at least having fun watching the movie, but when you're not really given a reason to invest in the characters or invest in the story, it makes it that much more of a chore to sit through.

They do reveal some reasoning for what's happening at the end, but by this point you don't really care because everything has felt pointless. There's some cool visuals here and there, but that's not really enough to overcome the formulaic and uninteresting script that's chock full of cliches.

Ultimately the film boils down to a slasher/evil kid horror genre. I do think there's an interesting concept here with the child being a murderer and whether that's due to his genetics or the environment he has found himself in for over 5 years.

And I think the film tries to show that it is a combination of both things, such as it is in real life, that have made him the way he is. The fact that he cannot feel any kind of pain puts the idea in his mind that everyone must be like him, unable to feel anything and the fact that he's been raised by a homicidal maniac helps guide those thoughts in the kid's mind to its most extreme.

And I thought that was actually a really cool aspect of the movie, an aspect of the movie you wouldn't pick up on if there wasn't a scene at the school where a teacher is discussing this same exact subject.

Whether environment or genetics has an effect on how someone turns out. It's like they just STUMBLED onto this theme by accident and felt the need to point it out in one scene so they don't look completely clueless.

It doesn't seem like something that was thought and planned out before the script was even written. It may have actually been intended, but it doesn't come across that way in the final product.

And it's not like they do much with this concept, it's like they just PUT the idea into your mind, rather than doing something with it. Again if you don't remember that scene, you would miss an important part of Martin's development and a large reason for why he is the way he is.

It's far more thought out than your typical 'evil child' nonsense. Regardless, it's not like THIS makes the movie really worth sitting through for an hour and 45 minutes of an uninteresting story that's more a chore than anything else.

There's still some good ideas here, though and some cool visuals. But they're not enough to raise the movie from its slightly below average state.