The Attic
Reviewed by : Sinn

Release Year : 2008

Directed By : Mark Lambert

Written By : Tom Malloy

Starring : Elisabeth Moss, Tom Malloy, Catherine Mary Stewart, John Savage

Related Links : IMDB, Official Site

 

Slow and ponderous tale of madness, an evil dead twin sister, mystery, and a simple minded brother who wears sweaters even the head of the local over 60s gay mans society would be scared to be seen in.

Slow is the operative word here. The cast are ok, Elisabeth Moss does a good job in the lead as Emma, tormented by visions of her dead twin sister who may be trying to kill her, conspiracies, witchcraft, and perhaps on the brink of madness, and there's an interesting enough story - but the pacing is all wrong. Most of you won't get involved in the actual story simply because you'll have given up hope of anything actually happening. There are just too many build ups that only end in a total anti-climax, and it lacks that ability to grab the viewer and rouse even a semblance of interest.

It's a shame really, there is good here, but it just can't shine through the miasma of sloth. The ending, when it finally comes, is actually good - in a good way, not because you can finally hit that stop button - and packs a nice twist, the trouble being that most people who are still awake will long since have given up caring.

If only the pacing had been better then this might have been a little gem, but as it stands, it feels overly long, too many events end in anticlimax, and interest wanes. A definite pity, there's much here that could have been special. Still, some of you may like it, there is a good enough story crying to get out.