Rating: 3/5
Sandy Dennis passes a boy — Michael Burns — in the park on her way home to her apartment, still able to see him from her window as the family arrives and eats a decadent meal on fine china. During their visit, the rain begins, and she cannot stop looking and worrying about the boy
She invites him to dry off, bathe, and eat a hot meal. In talking to him, she learns that he cannot (or will not) speak
As she cares for him, she makes it clear just how lonely she is, and though the boy is under no obligation to stay, she offers him a bed, food, clothing
One night, we see him escape and go home, his home, with a large family. In talking with his sister — yes, he talks — we learn of a game he plays where he doesn’t speak and lets other people fill in the gaps
He returns and continues the game, and boy, is it a messy game
Throughout the movie, Dennis looks through distorted windows and mirrors, her face or the boy’s face morphed or fractured — classic psycho-thriller stuff
It is a great first half, but the second half rushes through some plot and arrives at a place that doesn’t feel motivated by what came before. I have no problems with where it arrived — and I expected it to reach where it did. I just thought it needed more groundwork to get there