| Overall Grade: |
A |
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| Story: |
B+ |
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| Acting: |
A+ |
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| Direction: |
A |
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| Visuals: |
B+ |
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Postpartum Terror
by Randy B (movies profile)
Aug 16, 2009
"Firstborn" blindsided me. It is listed under horror but what you get is a superbly acted psychological thriller in which a woman, after giving birth to her first child, slips into a postpartum depression that actually threatens her sanity. Elizabeth Shue has never been this good, even in her Oscar nominated turn with Nicholas Cage as an alcoholic in Las Vegas. I believe I heard about this film during the production, but I guess, due to the subject matter, it went straight to video or had a very short-lived theatrical run. How Shue didn't get a nomination for this is just completely crazy. I mean I felt her pain, the desperate loneliness of one who's not really alone, yet
in her belief she is. Postpartum depression is a very real problem and I have never seen it portrayed in such devastating clarity. Shue and company should be applauded for shining a light on this subject matter. See this just to see a very gifted actress give one of the best performances in recent years. Truly an acting masterwork. |
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