Dark Places: Movie Review
Writer/director Gilles Paquett-Brenner (Sarah’s Key) sets the right tone in “Dark Places” which is based on the novel by Gillian Flynn (Gone Girl). Unfortunately this dramatic thriller is heavy on mood but seriously lacks thrills. This is one of the dullest films of the genre that I can remember and it’s a shame because the talent involved behind and in front of the camera is evident.
At the age of seven years, Libby Day (Sterling Jerins) was in her home while her family was brutally murdered. Convicted of the crime was her older brother Ben Day (Tye Sheridan). It’s been nearly thirty years and now Libby (Charlize Theron) is all grown up and her brother Ben (Corey Stoll) is still in prison. Libby’s life has been a mess since the trauma she experiences as a child. She has been living off of donations from strangers and residual checks from her published book. The cash flow has dried up. Donations are no longer coming in and the book no longer sells. Libby is completely broke.
What Libby doesn’t realize is that her life is about to change when she agreed to take part in a local “true crimes” club, run by Lyle Wirth (Nicholas Hoult). As a hobby, the club likes to try and solve crimes that they find fascinating. They believe that Ben Day is innocent, even though he confessed to the crimes and the evidence doesn’t add up. Although Libby doesn’t agree with the group, she is hard up for cash and they are willing to pay her to get involved.
The cast is strong as you would expect, especially Theron and Sheridan. Christina Hendricks and Chloë Grace Moretz also help round out the solid cast. The biggest issues with “Dark Places” are the writing and pacing. The story keeps taking us back and forth between present day and the time of the murders. The only thing that was keeping me the slightest bit interested was that I wasn’t sure where it was going or what really happened. When we finally learn the truth, it winds up being so far-fetched, that I couldn’t buy a single moment of it. It’s hard to tell if “Dark Places” would have turned out better if it was handled by a filmmaker more experienced in the genre. The story is interesting but the execution almost put me to sleep.
By: Marc Ferman