directed by Fred Schepisi
How would you look at a person who has killed their own child? Unless you’re some kind of psychopath I really hope you’d be full of anger and disgust. And now a different question: how would you look at a person who is said to kill their own baby? Perhaps the same, right? Even if there’s a pinch of chance that the parent is innocent, you’d still be overwhelmed by negative emotions and dislike towards the person. So if you want to explore this topic a bit further, I recommend you to see “Evil Angels”. We get to know a couple – pastor Michael Chamberlain and his wife Lindy (Sam Neill & Meryl Streep). They go camping together with their 3 children, one of which is a baby girl named Azaria. One evening, they are having a barbecue with friends when the baby starts crying in a tent. At this point Lindy goes to comfort the little girl, but she’s missing and the only thing the woman sees is a dingo with something in its mouth. Everyone starts looking for the child as Lindy is sure that it was taken by the wild animal. The girl is not found and while special services are taking care of it, the story about the child goes viral. However, instead of supporting the family, the majority of people begin to accuse the parents of murdering the baby and pretending it was just an accident. The public bases their opinion on the fact that Lindy seems unbothered and incredibly stoic for a mother that has just tragically lost her daughter. This leads to a series of quite unpleasant events which the family has to deal with. And for you, the viewers, it’s a guessing game – is Lindy actually guilty or not? Personally, I believe this film could have been done a bit better. To me the weakest points are the pace (way too slow) and the script (too many unnecessary scenes), so I’m not surprised the film was a box office disappointment. However, I appreciate the story itself and the way we, the audience, are included into it. From the beginning till the end we have no idea what’s the truth, so we feel like the jury. And while watching I tried to think what I would feel if the future of this family was in my hands. My opinion, purely based on random pieces of information, could put that woman in jail. Or, I could help a murderer avoid being punished. The game is actually the reason why you should watch this drama. Let me just say that Meryl Streep’s acting doesn’t help in making a decision – she really plays as if both scenarios were true. Quite creepy performance, but worth seeing.
My rating: 6/10
S.
I have nothing to watch 