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When Abbie (Melissa Hollett) and Tim (Guy Barnes) meet at an art
gallery by pure chance, they feel immediately attracted to one another,
and so it's only natural they start going out - and Abbie's even more
blown away by Tim than she already was, he has a romantic streak, is also
considerate, doesn't push for anything but doesn't pull back either. So
him proposing to her is really just the next natural step, and he also
insists she quits her job and concentrates on her first love, becoming a
novelist. Abbie and Tim marry, she gets pregnant ... and things change:
Tim grows more and more impatient with Abbie, and soon starts to shows his
cruel streak, which includes forbidding her to see her best friend
Isabelle (Sian Francis) anymore while he spends more and more nights with
his best friend Shawn (David Christopher-Turner) drinking at the pub, he
humiliates Abbie in front of his mother (Lindy Pieri) as well as in front
of Shawn and his wife Helen (Rachel Warren), and he hides letters from
Abbie's publisher telling her her book has been accepted for release. And
from here it's not far to Tim actually hitting her, which includes him
beating her up severely only weeks before due date, and she loses the baby
in the process. Now Tim pressures her into not telling why she has had a
miscarriage, and even tries to push the blame away from himself and even
onto her, but the game's getting ever more dangerous, as rage is building
up inside Abbie and she becomes more and more like a volcano that could
erupt at any moment, and those too close to her simply don't stand a
chance ... A very nice piece of slowburn psychological
thriller, one that tells its story on two corresponding timelines, all to
give the events of the main storyline the proper unsettling context. And
strong, relatable performances by Melissa Hollett and Guy Barnes sure make
this a very tight piece of genre cinema, also helped of course by a
direction that puts its emphasis on atmosphere but steps back enough to
give the actors the necessary air to breathe and make their characters
their own. And the finale as well as the post finale scene (or maybe it's
an alternative finale) sure are worth your time and money alone and add to
making the film pretty cool thriller entertainment.
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