4 stars

Blue Finch Film Releasing. Digital. 17th February.

The opening establishes we are in horror territory: An empty house. The furniture is covered in sheets. Thunder. Water dripping. The camera prowls as the music builds to a crescendo. Cut to title screen. 

Meredith (Emily Hampshire) and Jared (François Arnaud) are back from the hospital with their new son Alex, to their huge house (why is it in movies, especially American ones, the protagonists always have large dwellings?).

Jared has to go back to work (presumably highly paid, see above!). They need to get into a routine but Meredith is struggling with motherhood and looking after their often crying baby. They even go to couples counselling to see if that can help, as the is clearly affecting their relationship.

She’s doing her best – though Jared seems to be a bit of a jerk and is often critical and disparaging. She misses her mum and is starting to lose it.

Buckling under the pressure, Meredith starts to see things. Frightening things. She’s exhausted. Then she starts to hear and see Alex (Christian Convery) as a young boy. 

Then one night, with the baby crying again a devastating turn of events…

To say much more would spoil this psychological thriller which manages to be both tragic and chilling. Are her visions real, or a result of her all encompassing misery? She finds herself all alone, abandoned by those around her with only her fractured mind for company. Hampshire is excellent and fully convincing in the lead and there is effective use of sound to create a sense of dread. There can’t be many films who use postpartum depression as their springboard (answers on a postcard), though I am not sure it entirely hangs together by the end.

Steve Kirkham