Lily Renée, Escape Artist by Margaret Oh

She keeps things watchable when the spotty suspense and poor staging should otherwise prevent that. Though she's stayed away from such genre fare for a while, Zellweger is pretty game with the material. The screenplay by Ray Wright ( Pulse and last year's The Crazies) probably could harbor some menace and fear, but none of that comes to fruition, as German director Christian Alvart ( Pandorum) opts for stupid shrill scares, apparitional chases, and a random hornet set piece. Any evidence presented is too hastily dismissed, every obstacle too easily overcome. The story is less unsettling than unpleasant and seems excessively stacked in one direction.

Emily and everyone she knows appear to be in danger from which there is no escape.Ĭase 39 stumbles early and often in ways that aren't easy to pinpoint.

When people start turning up dead after receiving phone calls from Emily's house, Emily becomes convinced her polite ward is somehow involved.įor viewers, the doubt starts to fade along with any logic, as the child begins to seem capable of anything at any time. Police detective Mike Barron ('Deadwood' star Ian McShane), Emily's friend and colleague, has logical explanations for every question mark that arises around Lilith. An integral element of this subgenre is doubt and it hangs over much of the film. Instead, you'll soon recognize that Case 39 belongs to horror's evil child class.

This is not, however, the tale of a child abuse victim bouncing back and inspiring her new caregiver. Feeling a bond with the girl, Emily is persuaded to go one step further, recusing herself professionally and temporarily fostering Lilith. Naturally, that is more than enough to have the parents arrested and Lilith taken into custody. Still, she is handed a new file and it is this, the titular Case 39, that will change her life dramatically.Īt first look, nothing about the Sullivan family seems unfamiliar to Emily: 10-year-old daughter Lilith (Jodelle Ferland) is withdrawn, her parents (Callum Keith Rennie, Kerry O'Malley) are unfriendly, and the living conditions aren't the best.īut, a couple of nights after it's decided that no further action is necessary, Emily finds Lilith's parents trapping her in their oven in an apparent effort to bake her to death. Ames), Callum Keith Rennie (Edward Sullivan), Adrian Lester (Wayne), Kerry O'Malley (Margaret Sullivan), Cynthia Stevenson (Nancy), Alexander Conti (Diego Ramirez), Philip Cabrita (Javier Ramirez), Vanesa Tomasino (Javier's Wife)Ĭhild services social worker Emily Jenkins (Renée Zellweger) has her hands full with 38 active cases. Theatrical Release: Octo/ Running Time: 109 Minutes / Rating: Rĭirector: Christian Alvart / Writer: Ray WrightĬast: Renée Zellweger (Emily Jenkins), Jodelle Ferland (Lilith Sullivan), Ian McShane (Detective Mike Barron), Bradley Cooper (Douglas J.

Lily Renée, Escape Artist by Margaret Oh