A woman is raped and murdered in a field of sunflowers. We see the murderer from afar and from the back. We also see the murderer's car and it is a good tell. The plot however is not about solving this murder, though the prime suspect is easy to figure out. No, the film is going elsewhere. The title is a deception and deception is the name of the game.
In a small town some of its residents and a few outsiders become embroiled in a clever drama of rape, mistaken identity, manslaughter, corruption and deception. The story is told in installments, each concentrating on one of the main characters. For dramatic effect, the installments are not presented in chronological order. At the center there is a surprising twist to the, so far, believable events. Up to the last installment, the story telling has a natural feel albeit with a few necessary contrivances thrown in. It is the last installment that annoyed me. Its Sherlock Holmes style of crime resolution is too predictable. Fortunately the end introduces a second and similar twist that brings the story to a coherent conclusion. It is not a happy ending, it is a pragmatic ending. Everyone is worse off but, at the same time, the self-interest of all alive has been achieved. That's the clever aspect of the story.
In a small town some of its residents and a few outsiders become embroiled in a clever drama of rape, mistaken identity, manslaughter, corruption and deception. The story is told in installments, each concentrating on one of the main characters. For dramatic effect, the installments are not presented in chronological order. At the center there is a surprising twist to the, so far, believable events. Up to the last installment, the story telling has a natural feel albeit with a few necessary contrivances thrown in. It is the last installment that annoyed me. Its Sherlock Holmes style of crime resolution is too predictable. Fortunately the end introduces a second and similar twist that brings the story to a coherent conclusion. It is not a happy ending, it is a pragmatic ending. Everyone is worse off but, at the same time, the self-interest of all alive has been achieved. That's the clever aspect of the story.