Review of Godsend (2004) by Filipeneto — 10 Apr 2021

In this film, a couple sees their happiness shattered by the sudden death of their only child after an accident. It is then that a doctor appears who suggests using genetics to return the lost child to them by creating a clone. It would be a risky, highly secretive and ethically questionable experience, but they accept and change their entire lives. Things are going well, until the day the child begins to behave frighteningly and disturbingly to his parents.

Honestly, this film reminded me a little "Sixth Sense", inasmuch as it is a film that looks incredible from the first time we see it but starts to become uninteresting with each new viewing, while still being quite good at the difficult task to entertain its audience. Both films also tend to be considered horror, but I cannot see them as such. Nick Hamm is effective in tackling a controversial topic and painting it in sinister colors, creating a story worthy of a nightmare, but he doesn't know how to build the necessary tension to make the film efficient as a thriller, nor is he capable of making us feel afraid. The building of the characters is very rudimentary, and I did not feel real empathy for any of them in particular.

The cast is small and is absolutely dominated by De Niro, Kinnear and Romijn. Robert De Niro is good at the role of the doctor and leaves an extraordinarily calm job for an actor who seems to have an appetite for outgoing and strong characters. Even so, and perhaps for that reason, I couldn't help feeling that the actor was not entirely at ease with the character. Kinnear and Romijn present us with an intense collaboration. As far as I can tell, there are very few scenes where they are truly separated. Despite this close collaboration and the way their characters seem to be umbilical linked, chemistry as a romantic couple is nil. Cameron Bright, who brought young Adam to life, did a very calm job and fulfilled his role very well.

Technically, it is a standard film. Cinematography does not present anything particular, doing its job discreetly. The sets and costumes are good, with the medical clinic worthy of mention for the modern aspect and white tones, suggesting cleanliness and science, but also the classic hospital environment. Another set that deserves a positive note is the Catholic school, an old and decadent building where everything seems to lead us to the land of the classic horror of a haunted house. The soundtrack is effective, but totally forgettable.