1976 was maybe the most important year in the career of Jodie Foster. She starred in family-friendly movies like “Freaky Friday” and Bugsy Malone, but also moved a big step forward into her adult career with her participation in “Taxi Driver” and the titular movie, all that in the age of thirteen/ fourteen. Sa y what you want, that’s pretty impressive. I can’t remember anything alike when I think of Spears, Cyrus or Olsen- Twins. There are actually different roles played by former child stars which can be considered as an attempt to show how adult they are now, but the only example I can now remember is the “Poison Ivy” series which starred at first Drew Barrymore and later Alissa Milano each as seductive Teenager girls.
The movie centers on the girl from the title. Her name is Rynn and lives apparently alone in the big house. From the first picture of the ocean an atmosphere of suspense is building. It is very clear from the very beginning, that Rynn is alone. Later she explains to her new and only friend Mariio what happened to her parents and why she is living alone. And even when I tell you now, that there are four dead people in this movie it doesn’t change the atmosphere. The acting and the directing of this little piece of gold is just perfect.
Two die on screen; the other two are already dead when the movie begins.
- After the father of prepared everything for his daughter to make her a live on her own possible he attempted suicide, because he was suffering a deadly illness. He did this in the ocean, so that his body would never be found.
- Her mother, who was abusive towards her daughter, later found Rynn and was killed accidently by the latter, because the father told her to offer her mother a drink with a special powder, which he claimed a sedative, but in fact was cyanide.
- The landlady wanted to get something out of the cellar when Rynn wasn’t there. Due this action she discovered the dead body of the mother, stumbled in horror at the stairs and broke her neck.
- Frank, the pedophile son of the landlady, discovers the secrets of Rynn and blackmails her into starting a relationship with him. She offers him a tea and while she prepares it in the kitchen, she puts something of the powder in her own cup. Back in the living room, Frank is suspicious and switches the cups.
The last thing you see is her face looking at Frank and the last thing you hear are Franks dying words how

Hannibal

I could blame Ridley Scott or Dino De Laurentiis for this piece of garbage, but the very truth is, that the original novel is just bad and contrived. Thomas Harris just wrote shit. Jonathan Demme, the director of “The Silence of the Lambs” passed to direct this movie, because he couldn’t argue with Harris to change the plot in his tendency to be lurid and full of gore. Foster also turned it down, officially for disagreement over the budget. She probably was the opinion, that when she stars in a movie like this she deserved some smart money. De Laurentiis wasn’t the same opinion, showed some Italian macho behavior and the role of Clarice Starling was recast with Julianne Moore.

Bullshit. He is a serial killer with an attitude who does whatever he wants to. That makes him a fascinating character. Don’t try to make him relatable.

Avoid this movie and look therefore maybe “Zodiac” from David Finch.
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