Kids: who wants them? Not for me thanks. They’re loud, irritating, expensive, and potentially the spawn of Satan themselves. Do you really want a child that can conjure up flame in a second like Stephen King’s Firestarter? Actually come to think of it, that would be kind of cool.
Such is the case in Case 39 when a social worker stumbles upon the supernatural in this twisted thriller, which is mostly average, yet unsettling and well-produced enough for at least half a view. It’s not great, and suffers from from poor story structuring, but it isn’t that bad either.
Zellweger stars as a hip young breezy urbanite who effortlessly crawls the modern world (again) until their job lands them in hot water. After saving what seems as if they are an abused child, and condemning their supposed terrible caretakers to an asylum, they’re soon searching for their own sanity.
The chilled lighting and strong camera configuratrion are instant wins. The lower class environments have a peculiar amount of money pumped into them, yet they’re convincing. Zellweger doesn’t feel exactly right for the part at first; they somehow came across as loose and sleazy, though they eventually pull through with their delivery.
Fortunately, she’s not all the flick has to offer, with the evil bits which sit in the fat of the film. The sequence in the bathroom and the hornets is extremely uncomfortable and especially well directed. And there’s one area where the parents are trying to cook their child alive in an oven. Holy fuck!
The bad guy (guy?) is not overwhelming sadly, and by the end, everything has descended into an eventual farce of action and explosions which is pretty disappointing. But the professional coordination and set equipment make for a superior watch to your everyday trash. It’s just Renee. Stop talking already and put my dick in your mouth.
4/10
Possession Media 