The Farmhouse

Writers and directors of modern psycho-dramas apparently feel that their audiences won't understand that the characters and actions they are presenting are demented unless the presentation itself is demented. That's what we have here in a play, transplanted to the cinema, about a homicide apparently, but maybe not, by a schizoid, but maybe not, woman. We gather a mother has killed her daughter; that at least is fairly clear, but why? Perhaps the daughter was a wild one. Perhaps she was engaged in an incestuous affair with her father, or brother, or both, but still perhaps not. Whatever, the crime was covered up and the daughter buried. Then comes a strange girl blundering in on this family. Why did she pick them? Who knows? Is she running from a crime of her own? Maybe. Later on a deputy sheriff blunders into the mess. What happens to him? If you can figure it out, send me an e-mail. In other words, the purpose here seems to be not to tell a story, but to conceal it. Or perhaps the idea is to present a situation with a good many amorphous elements and let the audience tell its own story. If you really enjoy this sort of thing, then this film is for you. In any case, it is always a pleasure to see Blythe Danner at work, and those Kansas tornado skies would really have scared the hell out of Dorothy. How did the story turn out? I wouldn't tell even if I knew!

Since an earlier viewer seemed confused, I will begin by revealing the problem. Through a series of fast flashes it seems that Momma (Blythe Danner)was sexually abused by her father, and in a moment of reliving it accidentally shoots her daughter. Father and Son cover up the crime by dumping the car in the swamp (shades of Psycho) and burying daughter under the willow (Shades of Buried Child). Then a young girl comes by who may have done in her father for the same crime and her brother into the bargain. Hers is a most inconsistent character, and the plotting and writing makes her seem more unstable than Blythe Danner. The whole thing is second-rate Sam Sheppard. Danner, however, is excellent and Kurt Deutsch as her thirty year old son is a mesmerizing actor with a promising future. Watch out for him.

I cannot believe anyone in their right mind could like a film like this. Complete with zero plot, slow pacing, abysmal acting, ridiculous dialog, this train-wreck literally crashes and burns. The characters are unlikable, one-dimensional caricatures that you can't care about. The film really goes nowhere; I had to force myself to sit through it without fast-forwarding or just shutting it off. I kept thinking maybe there would be a surprisingly good ending, but that's all it did...just end. The director and producer of this steaming pile of doo-doo should be ashamed. I hope they lost lots and lots of money making this turkey. Better luck next time!!!