ON-DEMAND REVIEW: The Harvest

THE HARVEST

RELEASED: OUT NOW (On-Demand)

RATED: N/A (I'd put it at R though)

RATING: ****/*****

PREMISE: (Via IMDB) A couple who keeps their sick son in a secluded environment find their controlled lives challenged by a young girl who moves in next door. 

 

THE PRO'S: Engaging and disturbing mystery. Keeps you on your toes. Mostly good acting.  A terrifying villain. Good character development.

THE CON'S: By contrast, the movie at times has laughable acting. Disturbing content makes this not for the faint of heart.

THE REVIEW:

I've had my eyes on "The Harvest" for a while now, due to it's intriguing and mysterious premise. I will say I was not disappointed, but this unsettling movie is one of the hardest I've sat through. If not one of the best on-demand thrillers out there.

The film tells the story of Maryann who moves in with her grandparents after the sudden death of her family. There, she makes friends with Andy, a neighbor who is very sick, and in the care of his overbearing and shady mother Katherine. And somewhat mild-mannered, skittish father, Michael. But as Katherine's behavior becomes more unstable and disturbing, Maryann begins to wonder if there's more to Andy and his family than meets the eye. 

The movie, as one can imagine, is a very intense thriller. With some great suspense, and a fantastic build-up. To say the least, with every passing moment, you're left wondering what the dark secret this family is hiding may be. And though it's  not clear until the very end, it's an extremely well-done, and executed pay-off. If not a bit disturbing.

One of the things that both does and doesn't work well is the acting. Both child actors: Natasha Callis and Charlie Tahan are on-point and fantastic, as is the mother, who is played by Samantha Morton. Each brings a lot of life, and realism to their performance. And the Grandfather, who is played by the great Peter Fonda. In fact in Morton's case, she truly made me terrified of her. But there is a lot of weaker acting on the part of the Grandmother and Father. Who both play large roles in the movie, but  whose acting ranges from dull to rather over the top from scene-to-scene and somewhat takes away from the better acting of the other actors. 

But that's okay, because overall, it doesn't take The Harvest down at all. The story presented in this movie is not only compelling, but scary as well. I genuinely was gripping the edge of my seat every once in a while. And more than once found myself begging for answers. The more twisted the movie becomes, the better it becomes. And in general, it's an attention-grabber.

That said, this is NOT a film for everyone. The Harvest goes down some very dark roads, and if you're not a fan of overly dark movies, it's best to stay away. A lot of the content involves kids (though it's never anything graphic), and though it's handled well, anyone unnerved by them in danger should definitely stay away. 

 

But if you can get through it, The Harvest is an excellent suburban thriller. And overall, well worth the watch.

So...

 

IN CONCLUSION:

The Harvest is an exceptionally well-made, dark thriller. Though it may not be for everyone, and some of the acting is sub-par, it still is a satisfyingly interesting movie. And one I'd highly recommend to those who can handle it.

 

4 OUT OF 5 STARS

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED