Review of The Glass House (2001) by Amanda H — 15 Apr 2008

Leelee Sobieski stars as Ruby, the teenager and older sister to her brother, Rhett. When both their parents die in a tragic car crash after a nice evening out, Ruby's care-free adolescent life and lifestyle of staying out late with her girl friends is crushed, ruined and doomed not to survive. With the death of their parents, Ruby and Rhett are placed under the guardianship of the Glasses, to whom, Ruby's family lived next door to for years and know very well. Or...so she believed whilst she was growing up.

Mr and Mrs Glass, played by none other than Stellan Skarsgard and Diane Lane, take Ruby and Rhett in to their incredibly-sized house in Malibu. Isolated and far from the nearby population, Ruby and Rhett hope to start a new life for themselves. However, it soon arises that Mr and Mrs Glass are hiding certain things from Ruby and Rhett that they do not want to be let known. And all of a sudden, it is up to Ruby to save herself and her younger, impressionable brother from the terror that is soon abundantly clear...

This film has many themes that many fans of psychological thrillers, will recognize. A large house in the middle of nowhere, a teenage girl trapped, unknown dangers that lurk in the shadows.

This film is very cleverly filmed and directed and you will see how effective such a title is for this film. "The Glass House" is, just how it sounds and for the most part, since the Glass couple live there.

All main actors portray outstanding performances in this film, and Leelee Sobieski does a very good job as the heroine, Ruby who quickly has to save the day.

Be careful who you trust, for this film is all about trust and makes you question whether those who are closest to you, even if you have known for many years, can really be trusted.

We all hide secrets and in the house of reflections and see-through panes, Ruby will soon find out the secrets that her old family friends have kept secret.

Until now...