The diabolical mind of young Brooklyn Hart (aka, Elizabeth "Lisa" Ann Wolf) seems to have no bounds. When her abusive father, Gavin Wolf, is on his deathbed, he reveals the name of the driver who accidentally killed Brooklyn's mom. Despite her just having completed eighteen months in prison for assaulting her high school math teacher, Brooklyn moves into action for revenge on Audrey Bates. But in the process, she only reveals how much she relishes in her victimhood.
Brooklyn may deserve acknowledgment for her imaginative schemes to ruin the life of Audrey. Brooklyn also frames Audrey's partner, Matt Conroy, who spends most of the film in a holding cell in jail on false charges of assaulting Brooklyn. The death of the feisty Jane Miller, Audrey's best friend, was also a horrific act, as she is bludgeoned to death with the tin holding Brooklyn's father's ashes. Due especially to the times she endangers the well-being of Audrey's baby Zoe, it is difficult to have an ounce of sympathy for Brooklyn.
A shortcoming of the film was in the difficulty of believing that the astute Audrey would not have caught on earlier to Brooklyn's game. For her entire adult life, Audrey has lived with the guilt of taking the life of Brooklyn's mom. The mother was suffering from postpartum depression on the night she got "hammered" and stepped in front of the motor vehicle driven by Audrey. Having performed community service (picking up trash) for "involuntary manslaughter," Audrey is now working with mothers with newborn babies to help them through the transition in her Stroller Moms' meetings in the park. Audrey even kept the court file that listed the name of the woman she accidentally killed, as well as the name of the child. Yet somehow, she could not pick up on any of Brooklyn's hints.
Audrey's baby Zoe is tossed around like a football in the course of the film. The most outrageous moment on the part of the filmmakers was a recycling of the iconic scene of the runaway baby stroller on the steps of Odessa in Eisenstein's classic film "Potemkin." Overall, there was excellent pacing, dramatic tension, and first-rate performances in this reflection on the pitfalls of playing the victim card.
Brooklyn may deserve acknowledgment for her imaginative schemes to ruin the life of Audrey. Brooklyn also frames Audrey's partner, Matt Conroy, who spends most of the film in a holding cell in jail on false charges of assaulting Brooklyn. The death of the feisty Jane Miller, Audrey's best friend, was also a horrific act, as she is bludgeoned to death with the tin holding Brooklyn's father's ashes. Due especially to the times she endangers the well-being of Audrey's baby Zoe, it is difficult to have an ounce of sympathy for Brooklyn.
A shortcoming of the film was in the difficulty of believing that the astute Audrey would not have caught on earlier to Brooklyn's game. For her entire adult life, Audrey has lived with the guilt of taking the life of Brooklyn's mom. The mother was suffering from postpartum depression on the night she got "hammered" and stepped in front of the motor vehicle driven by Audrey. Having performed community service (picking up trash) for "involuntary manslaughter," Audrey is now working with mothers with newborn babies to help them through the transition in her Stroller Moms' meetings in the park. Audrey even kept the court file that listed the name of the woman she accidentally killed, as well as the name of the child. Yet somehow, she could not pick up on any of Brooklyn's hints.
Audrey's baby Zoe is tossed around like a football in the course of the film. The most outrageous moment on the part of the filmmakers was a recycling of the iconic scene of the runaway baby stroller on the steps of Odessa in Eisenstein's classic film "Potemkin." Overall, there was excellent pacing, dramatic tension, and first-rate performances in this reflection on the pitfalls of playing the victim card.