In a Dark Place (2006)

Anna Veigh (Leelee Sobieski) a recently qualified art therapist and teacher is finding work a tougher psychological challenge that she had anticipated. The offer of a new position minding two young orphans while their wealthy uncle is away on business seems to be a perfect escape. Her new workplace is Bly House a remote country estate with beautiful grounds and a small resident staff. Miles and Flora the children seem sweet and charming. Anna thinks that she has really landed on her feet after the rigors of her previous job. However Annas perfect world quickly begins to fade as she makes disturbing discoveries.System Requirements:Running Time: 95 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: ACTION/ADVENTURE/THRILLERS Rating: NR UPC: 687797312594 Manufacturer No: FLP-31259 Product Description

A quick comment

A previous reviewer wrote:
"I was also bothered by Sobieski's persistent near nudity"....
hmmm..

I thought the movie was quite interesting, and I cannot imagine ever saying something like this.
Thanks July 19, 2008

depressing

It was intense at times but overall the movie boring as it dragged on. It made little sence until the terrible ending. The flashbacks made no sence untill later but it would have been a little better without them. July 7, 2008

Save your money

Dull movie. After reading various comments I'd offer that what the director was trying to portray with the open bathrobe scenes, etc., was that the end result of being abused as a child is a lack of self respect.

Also, it's commonly accepted that the abused abuse.

Add to all that, she's obviously losing her mind. At the end when she says that she's "the only one who knows...", I think she means that she knows what it's like to be abused. Additionally, when her childhood face is super-imposed over her adult face - my take on it is that she's schizophrenic (hearing the voices), and a split-personality to boot. She is the abused child and she is now the adult abuser.

As to the weird violin scene...I think that was just a smoke screen and a pitiful attempt to add mystery.

As to the ghosts? Well there's where you can draw your own conclusions...they could be trying to save the children from HER. Or they could be malevolent spirits whether in actuality or in Anna's mind. Anna could actually believe that she is trying to save the children. In any event, it's pretty clear that the children believe she's a monster.

All in all, it's an intriguing story and has been done much better.

As to LeeLee's performance...well...to me, she's always had a sort of wooden look about her.

Anyway, the movie isn't very good. I happened to see it on cable so I'm only out the time it took to watch. July 6, 2008

Gotta love this one!

This movie has the perfect incline for a thriller movie. For the first part of the movie, you don't remember it's a horror/thriller. Then for the rest, it's just a thrill ride. A lot of people don't like this movie because it wasn't low budget and had some weird moments that the movie could have done without, but all in all, great movie. I don't use this word, but for the movie, it holds true: spooky. March 26, 2008

Modern Adaptation of Henry James' "Turn of the Screw": Muddled and Boring

Probably you all know that "In a Dark Place" is a modern adaptation of Henry James novella "Turn of the Screw." But perhaps you don't want a point-by-point comparison between this film and the novel (or "The Innocents" much better adaptation) here, so I just want to post my impression here: for all the beautiful look of the film, "In a Dark Place" is boring.

Leelee Sobieski stars Anna Veigh, an art therapist recently hired as nanny, who believes that there is something evil out there, watching closely the two lovely children Flora and Miles with malicious intent. The basic story is not bad, but it gets muddled and confusing as it unfolds.

First-time director Donato Rotunno, it seems, spends much time following the subtext about the sexual tensions between Anna and caretaker Mrs. Gross (Tara Fitzgerald), which amounts to nothing after all (except one brief "love scene"). The main plot about the children and "Peter Quint" gets a more careless treatment as the film tells and shows things that should be only suggested. In one scene, believing that she has seen "someone" outside, Anna is seen walking around holding a knife in her hand. In another we see one of the children has asthma. These things not only undermine the tone of the story which should be more ambiguous, but also make us wonder what made the guardian of the children hire Anna in the first place.

Its pretty good ending aside, the film is hugely disappointing with miscast Leelee Sobieski. And her acting is not good either. March 8, 2008

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