Young teenager Rynn Jacobs (Jodie Foster) lives a secret life in a New England beach town, but trouble is brewing when her neighbour, creepy Frank Hallett (Martin Sheen) becomes interested in her.
This is a film I came across on Amazon and decided to watch, primarily because the premise sounded interesting (that is how I come across a lot of the films I watch, to be fair). 1970s films are always a bit weird, and this was very much the case for this film.
An undercurrent of dread pervaded this film, which made the tension all the more palpable. Foster did a good job of portraying a character who uses her intelligence and quick wits against adults who don’t think young people worthy of being listened to. Apparently this was going to originally be a TV film, which gives it a certain staginess but even so its coloured by a vibrant cast of characters.
Sheen was perfect as creepy Frank, although I feel that if this film was done these days they would have probably bought his darker side more to the fore. Scott Jacoby (Golden Girls) did a good job as Rynn’s friend/love interest Mario, and he and Foster had a good dynamic going on throughout their scenes which was good to see, as well as admirable comic timing when required.
Films that show the ugly side of suburbia or small towns always do a varying job with the effectiveness of their narrative, Of course you have to suspend your disbelief somewhat as to how Rynn can effectively lie to the adults around her that her father is alive, but that tension is what makes this film immensely watchable.
This film is a 1970s curio that I get something different from with each time I watch it again. I highly recommend you give it a go if you come across it.
MY RATING: **** / *****
Movie and Television Blog (2013- 