shannon azure

I can only infer that the poor ratings of this film are coming from people who have never dealt with the crippling effects of emotional abuse and trauma.I must admit I was waiting for something climatic to happen but as the movie progressed and the acting was so simple but intense I understood that the brilliance of the film was how they didn’t have to interject the controlling emotional abuse behind closed doors or find the body of the missing girl or be attacked by whoever murdered the missing girl. The abuse was written all over Anna Kendricks performance. How pale and thin she was and watched everything she ate including drinking endless amounts of water to try to take away the hunger she must have felt. You didn’t need a whole bunch of backstory to understand how much he controlled her. He had her so convinced that she was unworthy. She would wake up before him and do her hair and makeup the way he wanted to see her. She would have to build him up so that he wouldn’t take his insecurities out on her. There were so many small things that she did that unless you have lived it in some way you wouldn’t relate to it. If you were the victim/survivor or family/friend you would see all the little things that she did that told the story of an emotionally abused and controlled person. I am so glad that in the end with the support of her friends and the maul/axe in her hands she took back control without violence. This was uncomfortable to watch but necessary. Emotionally abused people do not carry their wounds on the outside for everyone to see. They carry their wounds on the inside that many people would never understand. Oscar worthy performance for Anna Kendrick and an absolute story that needs to be told. It’s heartbreaking to see how many people just didn’t understand the dynamics in this movie without having the abuse played out for them to see.