Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Am I Missing Something?

The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

Just intense enough to provide a much-needed diversion, just lightweight enough to make you forget about it soon after it’s over. It’s not exactly “good,” per se, but it does what it sets out to do in terms of putting us on edge, which makes it … successful?

I'm giving this 10 out of 10 because: (1) when I first saw this film I was utterly gob-smacked, in the same way that Hellraiser and Evil Dead gobsmacked me. Utterly unique. (2) Leslie Andrews is simply phenomenal.(3) There are some films I watch again, and some that I watch regularly, every couple of years. Run Lola Run and Sick Girl beat all the others hands down in terms of repeat viewing (Peter Jackson's Braindead is close 3rd). (Note: Run Lola Run is not a gore film, it's just perfect). (4) I'm not going to give any spoilers, but this film does not shy away from showing children that their casual cruelty can occasionally have surprisingly disproportionate consequences (which is surely a healthy message for all our younger generation to absorb?).(5) On the region 1 DVD, the extra features include Leslie Andrews' "Death by.." art project, where she photographs herself as victim of 'death by..' (e.g. death by washing machine, death by garden hose) - subversive and really funny photographs, I wish they were available as a book. Worth buying the DVD for if you can't stream this movie.

Seriously messed-up young gal Izzy (a remarkably brave, fearless, and convincing performance by Leslie Andrews) isn't having an easy time of it: Both her parents are dead, her older brother Rusty is overseas fighting in Iraq, and she has to raise her younger brother Kevin (a sympathetic portrayal by Charlie Trepany) all by herself. Moreover, Izzy blows off steam not only by killing various people, but also by torturing several folks she has tied up in the barn right next to her house. After catching three bullies picking on Kevin in school, Izzy blows a gasket and embarks on a vicious rampage. Writer/director Eben McGarr certainly doesn't pull any punches with this extremely dark and disturbing portrait of one incredibly troubled, unstable, and dangerous female psycho: The no-holds-barred nasty and warped tone, plentiful graphic and unflinching gore (the scene with Izzy calmly cutting one poor guy's penis off is downright painful to watch), startling moments of shockingly sadistic violence, an inventively harsh rape set piece, and the nihilistic bummer ending all pack a savagely potent punch. Moreover, McGarr grounds the story and characters in a plausible workaday reality as well ass further spices things up with a wickedly funny sense of pitch-black gallows humor. John McGarr contributes an engaging turn as friendly and helpful neighbor Barney. Stephen Geoffreys (Evil Ed in "Fright Night") pops up in a neat small part as amiable elementary school teacher Mr. Putski. The rough cinematography by C.J. Roy and John Carreon gives the picture a gnarly bleached-out look. John Francis Conway's shivery score does the flesh-crawling trick. A totally twisted flick that supplies one hell of a deranged kick.

Izzy(Leslie Andrews) is VERY protective of her brother. In fact, Izzy doesn't tolerate bullying of any kind. More than a tad unstable, Izzy has taken over for her older brother(stationed in Iraq)as guardian for Kevin(Charlie Trepany), the little brother who is a sweet, gentle-hearted kid with a kind soul. Izzy is the opposite, cold and calculating, remorseless when it comes to hurting anyone who triggers her psychosis. Izzy's love for her older brother, Rusty(Chris W King; who had to become caregiver and father for the three of them after their parents' deaths)borders on incestuous(in actuality, she kisses Rusty and considers him the "father" and her the "mother" of their family which creeps him out enough that once he goes to Iraq he doesn't communicate with them for over a year while away). We do learn towards the very end of the film that there's ultimately a reason for Izzy's psychotic break as it pertains to Rusty. The bottom line is that Izzy lacks empathy for anyone other than Rusty and even that is a delusion she has cooked up in her mind, that he will return to her someday and they will become a happy family. The truth is that Rusty had a love in his life and this woman is subject to Izzy's wrath because she stands in the way of some illusion..hell, Izzy even sleeps with Rusty's picture right next to her! There's a vacuous expression in both her demeanor and voice in regards to her treatment of others, particularly those she has kidnapped, holding them prisoner in a barn near her home. It's a dirty little secret Izzy keeps hidden from Kevin and his substitute father figure and best friend, Barney(John McGarr), a pal of Rusty and their father's. Barney is the sanity Kevin so desperately needs. Izzy is clueless as how to live a normal life without destroying most of those she comes in contact with. Whether its a young man and woman she tortures(the former through a castration, the latter via anal rape with a wooden spike dildo), or the bullies in Kevin's class, Izzy has no qualms causing each and every one of them pain and suffering, without any sense of right or wrong. Izzy is essentially a psychopath without a moral compass to dictate rational behavior. Which is why by the end, Izzy has no one and will forever be alone and without any sort of support. Her cruelty towards the kid bullies is eye-opening in its sadism, having the leader of the group, Tommy, to murder his cohorts(which he does, he thinks, to save his own hide). What Izzy does to Tommy is even worse, using a shovel to knock him unconscious, allowing a starving rat to gnaw on the kid's face! There's no limit as to the lengths Izzy will go which is kind of the point..Barney and Kevin haven't the foggiest notion just how depraved Izzy is until they see it with their own eyes, the result quite tragic. Stephen Geoffreys has a small role as Kevin's teacher, the owner of a rat that Tommy stole to starve.

Writer-director-producer Eben McGarr opens us up to the world of Izzy, where parents are dead, one brother is in the military and the other is just starting to grow up. What lengths would you go to in order to protect your family? This film has been floating around film festivals and conventions for a while now... and I've had an interest, particularly after hearing about the cameo from Andy Signore ("The Janitor"). Now thanks to Synapse, we all have the chance to see it on DVD (though, for me, it helps to review films as a job).The biggest criticism I can give of this film is the dreadful mixing on the sound. Much of the dialogue is too quiet and the sound effects and score are too loud. So, you end up not hearing what everyone says and getting blasted by the music. It's more than just a little frustrating. The plot is a bit convoluted at times, the CG is awful, and the acting is cheesy, but these negatives are forgivable.What has gotten this film so much attention is the sheer nastiness in the violence. Kids forced to kill kids, sodomy, rape, dismemberment, suicide... not all of it is as gory as you might want, but much of it is more graphic and gory than you'd expect. I don't want to give away how extreme it gets, but let's just say if you want gore and violence, it gets more and more intense as the film goes along, and you will not be let down.Get a copy of this from Synapse. Order it today. Do not hesitate. You could rent it, but seriously I think this might be one you want to keep on your shelf for just the right occasion.