Written and directed by Vincenzo Natali. Based on the novella of the same name by Stephen King and Joe Hill. Starring Laysla De Oliveira, Avery Whitted, Harrison Gilbertson, Will Buie Jr., Rachel Wilson and Patrick Wilson.
Plot: a brother and sister venture into a vast field of tall grass after hearing a little boy crying for help, but they soon discover that there may not be a way back out.
While driving across the country, Cal (Whitted) and his pregnant sister, Becky (De Oliveira), stop on the side of a Kansas road so that she can puke. While standing next to a field of tall grass, they hear a young boy calling to them from inside the grass. He says he’s lost and needs help. They go in looking for him. They get seperated easily, it gets dark, Cal finds the dead body of a golden retriever and gets even more spooked. Then, Cal finds the little boy, Tobin (Buie Jr.), who takes Cal to a huge rock in the middle of the field with strange drawings on it.
Elsewhere, Becky comes across Ross (Patrick Wilson), Tobin’s father. Something about him rubs her the wrong way, but they end up seperated anyhow. Later – much later as it turns out – Travis (Gilbertson), the baby’s father, comes down the same Kansas road looking for Becky. He sees Cal’s car on the side of the road and stops. Thinking he hears Becky inside the tall grass, he too enters and gets lost.
I won’t reveal any of the secrets here. I’ll just tell you to give it a chance. There’s layers of story here. Layers to peel back before you can truly see what’s happening. And no, not every question you ask is going to be answered, but most will and I was very satisfied. The movie had heart and I think I like it even better than the novella since this ended in a more happy way.
The story is interesting. It’s also original. There are no real rules to it all, but the direction is good enough to keep you intrigued. The effects are outstanding, the opening was powerful and the cast was just about perfect, especially little Will Buie Jr. (see the pic above) who is so adorable I want to eat him up. It’s an intense movie that’s more atmospheric than jumpy, which was fine with me since DJ didn’t watch it with me.
My score: 69.
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