The Apology

DIRECTOR ALLISON STAR LOCKE HAS SUCCEEDED IN COMBINING TWO DIFFERENT TWO DIFFERENT GENRES- ONE IS A DEVASTATING DEPICTION ABOUT WHAT IT IS LIKE TO DEAL WITH THE TRAUMA OF A MISSING CHILD AND THE OTHER IS A TENSE PSYCHOLOGICAL DRAMA ABOUT REALIZING WHAT HAPPENED TO THAT CHILD AND TRYING TO DECIDE WHAT TO DO ABOUT IT- INTO ONE EMOTIONALLY HARROWING FILM. ACTRESS ANNA GUNN MAKES US FEEL THE AGONY OF A MOTHER'S LOSS SO INCREDIBLY, AND LINUS ROACHE INITIALLY APPROACHES HIS CHARACTER WITH WHAT SEEMS LIKE GENUINE SYMPATHY FOR MS. GUNN'S CHARACTER, AND THAT MAKES THE REVELATIONS THAT COME SEEM EVEN MORE INCREDIBLE AND SIMULTANEOUSLY ALL TOO REAL. I HAVEN'T HEARD SUCH UNBELIEVABLE RATIONALIZATIONS FROM A CHARACTER LIKE HIS SINCE JOHN HUSTON'S CHARACTER IN "CHINATOWN." ALTHOUGH "THE APOLOGY," ISN'T ON THE SAME LEVEL AS "CHINATOWN," IT'S MILES ABOVE AWFUL FILMS LIKE "SILENCE OF THE LAMBS" WITH THEIR ONE-DIMENSIONAL VILLAINS. I DON'T THINK "THE APOLOGY" WILL GET AS LARGE A FOLLOWING AS "SILENCE OF THE LAMBS," BUT THAT'S ONLY BECAUSE AUDIENCES TODAY SEEM TO LOOK FOR SHOCK VALUE AND SICK HUMOR FROM HORROR FILMS INSTEAD OF THE INTERNAL TORMENTS THAT YOU FIND IN CLASSIC PSYCHODRAMAS LIKE "CHINATOWN", "PSYCHO", AND "REPULSION."