Defense

Do not be fooled by reviews, this is not a complex film at all. The surface plot means absolutely nothing and we're told this over and over, to the point of tedium. The acting is abysmal, with Joseph Fiennes giving his usual sad sack whiny performance and Nicole Kidman, slowly become pigeon holed into these shattered woman roles. The sad part is that the kid's disappearance become completely inconsequential, which for most, will be a huge stretch. For any parent, impossible to believe. The scenery is used almost laughably, as if it's a snake that has swallowed them whole, which we're again hit over the head with.

If you make it to the end, you're left with an ambiguous moment, where you as the viewer are given a rare opportunity and that is, not to have a choice, because by then, it doesn't matter. You're made to believe that this moment has created a consequence, which is so unfathomable, that the the two lead's confessions (more like concessions) seem minute, when in reality, they've caused everything they've gone through.

If you dislike slow movies, stay away, as this runs nearly two hours and feels every bit of three.