THE HARVEST (2013)

[indianasmith]

I spotted this one on the shelf at Hastings a couple weeks ago and decided to give it a watch this weekend.  What a BRILLIANT little horror film this is!  I don't really know if "horror" is the right word here - there's not a single killing in the whole film until the very end, and nary a supernatural element to be found.  But this thing grabs you by the throat and will not let go!

MaryAnn is a thirteen year old girl who is moving in to live with her grandparents after the death of her mom and dad. (Her granddad is played by Peter Fonda, BTW!) She is grieving, rebellious, and not at all happy at the move.

On her first afternoon in the new home, she goes for a walk and discovers that there is a nice two story house set back in the woods behind her grandparents' home.  There she encounters Andy, a boy her own age who is suffering from a wasting disease and is stuck either in his bed or in a wheelchair all the time.  They form a quick friendship, over the objections of Andy's obsessive mother, played with brilliant malevolence by Samantha Morton.  Andy's Dad isn't nearly as upset by the boy's interest in his new friend, but it's very obvious that he is under the thumb of his wife, who is a doctor by profession.

In spite of being forbidden to see her new friend, MaryAnn keeps going next door . . . only to realize that something is not right in the house.  Is Andy really as sick as his mother insists that he is?  Is he really dying?  And what is happening in that mysterious room in the basement where Andy's mom disappears for several hours a day?

Brilliantly acted, with incredible tension, this movie was a real treat.  I highly recommend it!