Review of Frailty (2002) by David L — 01 Oct 2016

Frailty is one of those films that you watch and can't forget easily. It's very atmospheric, well-performed, well-directed and a overall delivers a creepy psychological thriller.

Frailty is the story of a close family, when one day, the father (played in an exceptional performance from Bill Paxton) claims he has seen a vision from God, who has sent him on a 'mission' to kill 'demons'. The demons, according to the father, disguise themselves like regular people, but only he knows who they are.

The great thing about Frailty is it manages to go one step ahead to your typical film of this genre. Recently, there seems to have been a lot of psychological horror or thriller films that fall just below average, and are easily forgettable. However, Frailty somehow manages to be better than that, and become a film that sticks out from the usual one's of its type. For one thing, it is very thought-provoking, giving you the opportunity to watch a satisifying, not totally open-ended film, but instead a partly solved ambiguous mystery.

The other thing that adds to the atmospheric tension of Frailty is the brilliant and highly intelligent narrative. At the beginning of the film, we are led to trust the father, just as the children do, but during the scene where he tells them of his 'vision', we become sceptical almost of his sanity, just as Fenton is. Thus, as the narrative progresses, it seems you can watch the film on different levels as you trust your own judgements.

Bill Paxton provides a solid performance as good as his directing, playing a twisted man, yet still winning the trust of his youngest son. The two child performances are exceptional also, as is McConaughey. They leave us with the possibility that this event could happen in any town, and in my opinion, that is what makes the film so creepy.

I watched this film when it was released years ago and I haven't forgotten it. After watching the DVD recently, I spotted new things that I didn't last time, and watched it on a completely different level. I think that's a sign of a good film, especially of this genre. Frailty is a disturbing and completely unforgettable film, one of the best films I have seen in its genre.