Trying to make a better life for herself, an undocumented single mother sees a chance for a major life change when she and her daughter move into a house to care for an ailing man and his niece, but the more they stay there the more they realize the bizarre relationship may put them in danger.
There's quite a lot to like with this one. Among its brighter aspects is a solid central setup that makes for a wholly engaging scenario to be utilized here. The first half explores quite heavily and naturally, the desperation she feels at keeping her life in order despite it all crumbling down around her, ranging from the struggles of finding housing for her and her daughter to facing the racism and misogynistic abuse for the work she does and the natural indignation of being a single mother. This gives the new job opportunity such a sense of importance for her that she can use it as a means of escaping this lifestyle only to end up stumbling upon a far more dangerous threat inside the house which gets uncovered slowly during her employment. This is handled incredibly well for a great start to things. This early setup allows the film to really ratchet up the tension in the second half. This employs a rather frenetic ploy as the living conditions she'd been working under change constantly due to a solid series of explanations and reveals that come about. With so much of the first part involving the daughter living there in secret trying not to alert her boss about it or being inundated with all sorts of rules about her care routine and responsibilities, there's an air of suspense and unease present that helps to make the revelations present that come about regarding the proper treatment or loyalty feel far more shocking and clever. As these lead into a frenetic finale offering some shocking truths and reveals about who's in charge, it all provides quite a lot to really enjoy here. While not overtly a flaw, this does have some drawbacks to be had. One of the main factors against it is the second half introducing some extra reveals and reversals which don't need to be there. The incidents involving the true unscrupulous behavior of the two battling for the position of head of the house come off as forced as if this is relying on providing a shocking barrier for her to overcome as the main focus. Instead, this ends up causing a whirlwind of ideas floating about where it crams ideas at random to create a decided lack of focus as a result. Now, this factor doesn't impact quite heavily at all but due to the rather heavy care that the first half had displayed, this becomes obvious and is what holds it back.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.
There's quite a lot to like with this one. Among its brighter aspects is a solid central setup that makes for a wholly engaging scenario to be utilized here. The first half explores quite heavily and naturally, the desperation she feels at keeping her life in order despite it all crumbling down around her, ranging from the struggles of finding housing for her and her daughter to facing the racism and misogynistic abuse for the work she does and the natural indignation of being a single mother. This gives the new job opportunity such a sense of importance for her that she can use it as a means of escaping this lifestyle only to end up stumbling upon a far more dangerous threat inside the house which gets uncovered slowly during her employment. This is handled incredibly well for a great start to things. This early setup allows the film to really ratchet up the tension in the second half. This employs a rather frenetic ploy as the living conditions she'd been working under change constantly due to a solid series of explanations and reveals that come about. With so much of the first part involving the daughter living there in secret trying not to alert her boss about it or being inundated with all sorts of rules about her care routine and responsibilities, there's an air of suspense and unease present that helps to make the revelations present that come about regarding the proper treatment or loyalty feel far more shocking and clever. As these lead into a frenetic finale offering some shocking truths and reveals about who's in charge, it all provides quite a lot to really enjoy here. While not overtly a flaw, this does have some drawbacks to be had. One of the main factors against it is the second half introducing some extra reveals and reversals which don't need to be there. The incidents involving the true unscrupulous behavior of the two battling for the position of head of the house come off as forced as if this is relying on providing a shocking barrier for her to overcome as the main focus. Instead, this ends up causing a whirlwind of ideas floating about where it crams ideas at random to create a decided lack of focus as a result. Now, this factor doesn't impact quite heavily at all but due to the rather heavy care that the first half had displayed, this becomes obvious and is what holds it back.
Rated Unrated/R: Graphic Language and Violence.