Joe and his siblings have a couple of problems. First off, their stepparents are despicably evil. Secondly, they seemed to have killed them. Now this mixed up mess of half-sisters and step-brothers have to figure out how to dispose of the bodies, cover up the murders, collect their grandfather's inheritance and somehow stick together as a family -- all without getting caught. Not to mention Joe's incessant need to keep tabs on his promiscuous sister, an eye on the precocious little ones and a lustful watch on the girl next-door. Growing up has its complications. Murder's just one of them.
Acting
Sarah Gadon steals every scene as the unbothered, scheming Margaret.
Writing
Script commits to its own repugnance without winking at the audience.
Director
David Weaver
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was Sarah Gadon's feature debut at age 17; she'd later star in Cronenberg's Cosmopolis. The pipeline from Canadian indie chaos to prestige cinema is real.
Released in the shadow of Arrested Development's first season, this similarly mines incest panic and financial desperation—but without the network sitcom safety net, it plays genuinely mean.
US
CA
