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constantly tries to appease both him and his mother. He is a bright young man but there seems to be some manner of psychosis brewing under the surface. Narcicism and hedonism both vie for his attention but that is just the tip of the iceberg... His relationship with his mother also becomes very complicated over time.

Things are set into motion by the father leaving the mother. He does not just leave her but does so for the girlfriend of his own son. It is a horrific scene and sets the tone for all that follows. The son seems to change his sexuality after this incident as if flipping a switch, making one wonder ust what sort of vacuous and uncertain personality lies at the core of those hooded eyes. The mother changes as well, becoming more sexual and shallow than ever.

The performances here are very good. The direction is excellent. But I still dislike the film overall. How could that be when I liked individual parts of it? Because of the fact that some stories are not worth telling. Even though many of the basic elements are factually correct and the changes that have been made benefit the story, there is still nothing here that is inherently compelling. The three main characters inspire no sympathy whatsoever. The father and mother are both monsters, concerned only with appearances and acting as if possessed of more wit than they actually were. It all felt so empty.

In the son we have a slightly more interesting character, but he too, falls short of genuine intriue. He painstakingly goes over former letters trying to find clues to his identity and character only to come up empty handed. Because all three charactersare so repulsive and empty, so does their film. Two stars out of four.

Learn more about this author, Royce Radcliffe.
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