PodBill Just what I expected

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

Kien Navarro Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

rushknight After reading some of the other reviews, it became clear to me that this movie hits a nerve for many. Our reactions are varied and emotional, ranging from disgust, panic and confusion to relief, respect and understanding.I was intrigued, so I decided to watch it for myself.A good reviewer will step aside from his own opinions and give the movie a fair shake from an objective point of view.The real strength of the movie is that it pushes and breaks boundaries, which most of us adhere to. We generally believe that following these laws and moral norms will keep children safe, but the truth is that the world has never been safe. Just by living we all agree to this simple truth: life is dangerous.The main protagonist, whose life is falling apart and who is slowly losing his grip, meets a young girl who is essentially being raised how he was. He deeply feels that this is a crime and decides that he will develop a relationship with her that, while wildly inappropriate and even illegal and dangerous, is beneficial to them both. As all relationships do, it takes a turn that both frightens and satisfies them, teaching them about love. Ultimately, it seems that they are soul mates who have found each other. The tragedy is that in this world they cannot be together, because in their current circumstances it was not healthy or safe for either of them. Note that the relationship was not sexual, it doesn't have to be.This movie is well filmed and choreographed. The cinematography is bleak, accompanied by a soundtrack that is mostly atmospheric and moody.. and sometimes scary. All of this is designed to pull you into the hopelessness that both characters feel, while leaving you on the edge of your seat wondering what will happen next.The film has two reasonably large flaws in my opinion: the writing and the direction.The writing was mostly good, but deliberately obtuse. You are not supposed to completely understand what the character of David Lamb is thinking or planning. While we are supposed to think that David and Tommy's relationship develops from a deep understanding, I got the impression that Tommy was confused most of the time. When faced with David's constant deep observations about life, young Tommy seemed honestly dumbstruck. She seemed to take him on faith for most of the film.As for the direction, the film draws on as a slow burner. What's happening next never seems to be a concern, because honestly it's fairly predictable. Aside from the question of Tommy's safety, there is little conflict to deal with. What really boggled me was the relationship that develops between the two characters. It starts off as a simple friendship, then develops into teacher/student, moves easily into father/daughter, and finally dives headlong into unrequited lovers. If I could complain about anything, I would say that the final relationship did not have enough screen time to be adequately explained. It just seemed to happen in a rush and was confusing to me.Now then, The rest of my review is my opinion, feel free to read it or not.Some other reviewers have written this movie off as a simple "defense of pedophilia." I don't see it that way.I haven't lived long, but I've lived long enough to know that love is an inconsiderate thing. It can happen at the wrong time, in the wrong place, even with the wrong person. To make judgments on any other person's love is an arrogance I personally don't engage in. Can it happen between two people, even if one is a child and the other an adult? Of course it can. I won't say whether or not that love is true, it's not my place. I can only say that it is inappropriate given the circumstances. And when it comes to love, many would say circumstances be damned.People who believe that love like this cannot exist between the young and old are completely on the wrong side of history. Relationships between very young and very old people have happened time and time again for generations. Our particular norms for the treatment of children are a very recent inventions, while we mostly agree that they are good things, they are not always right in every single case.Deal with it.

petervoicu wow..just horrible..the movie is trying to normalize pedophilia..it is disturbing to see that now this is the trend..showing that a relationship between a middle aged man and a very young child is normal and perfectly natural..It is quite shocking that we reached this point where these kind of movies now pop up, and people cant see nothing abnormal about it. Movies as a matter of fact have always been used as an efficient tool to brainwash..this movie is doing just that,,brainwashingavoid this movie..trash that presents child abduction and pedophilia in a positive light!!

Larry Silverstein Wow! How can one even begin to describe or rate this movie? It's like watching a train wreck but you just can't look away.Both Ross Partridge and Oona Laurence are terrific in their starring roles here. Partridge also directed and wrote the screenplay, based on the novel by Bonnie Nadzam. Partridge portrays the very strange 47-year- old David Lamb, who's in the throes of a divorce, his father has just passed away, and he's been asked by his boss to take some time off to get himself together. Also, he's in the midst of an office romance with a woman (Jess Weixler), who seems to care very much for him, but he's only capable of wanting a sexual dalliance at this point. David is also a rather vile manipulator and prevaricator, which he uses to gets what he wants.Laurence is simply amazing as the 11-year-old Tommie, who spends most of her time on the streets with her so-called friends, and who comes from a most neglectful and miserable home life. After watching her performance in this film, I can't see how Laurence cannot have the brightest future on the silver screen.Thus, when David and Tommie cross paths in a strip mall parking lot, it will mark the beginning of a most creepy and bizarre "bonding' between the two that will culminate in David taking Tommie on a several day's trip to his late father's isolated cabin. Although Tommie will get to experience things she never has before, she's manipulated every step of the way by David. Through his subtle promptings, he will convince her not to notify her mother where she's gone. Although there are no overt sexual advances on his part, David ends up placing Tommie in emotional situations no 11-year-old should be. Things will just get creepier and more bizarre as the movie progresses, but as mentioned, I was just totally engrossed, as painful as it was to witness.Overall, this was a most unsettling film, to say the least, with terrific performances from Partridge and Laurence, and with its most gut wrenching ending its impact will stay with me for some time to come.

Peter Lorme Lamb (2015) is a unique indie drama directed, written and produced by Ross Partridge, who also stars in the film. To be completely honest, I think this film is extremely hard to talk about. At points, I found it extremely uncomfortable. But that's the point. Well acted all around. Oona Laurence and Ross Partridge both gave excellent performances. In addition to great performances, the cinematography was also wonderful. This isn't just a cliché indie drama. The film splits off in a different directions, especially with the ending. I found Lamb to be an extremely memorable movie. Really hard to talk about without spoiling anything. Just go watch it. It's worth your time.