what an awful movie (spoilers)

Completely agree. Every single character in this movie was annoying, especially Joshua. At the end, I was glad he was being beaten by his father. The little prick deserved it. I HATED this *beep* movie.

I don't agree with you. I liked Joshua and felt very sorry for him. He likely had a mental illness inherited from his mother, but that doesn't make him a bad person. He was a very odd person and no one made him feel wanted or like he belonged. His parents weren't the right people to take care of an eccentric child like him. As you said, all his father cared about was his money and his work and the mother only paid attention to his little sister and barely even noticed she had a son. It's no wonder he wanted his sister dead. In his mind, perhaps if she wasn't there maybe his parents would love him for a change but he never seemed to be quite good enough for them. He acted out of character (collapsing at the piano recital, getting rid of all his toys, changing his religion, etc.) to get their attention but when that didn't work, he concocted a plan so he could live with his uncle who was the only person he felt any connection to since they both had an interest in classical music. His uncle was the only one who accepted him as he was and everyone else just acted like they either wanted nothing to do with him or only pretended like they wanted to be around him because they had to.

I've been waiting for you, Ben.

So the grandmother is a nutjob just because she loves Christ? I get it. I’m really tired of people who are religious being disrespected by rude, intolerant atheists and agnostics. You don’t have one ounce of respect and class. Is this what atheism is? Being rude, foul, and angry? Why would anyone aspire to be like the godless when it so apparent you have nothing but hatred and bitterness where your souls should be. You're also cowards who feel free to be snide bastards just because you can hide behind a pseudonym. The internet must be where all the godless go to feel loved because no one who actually knows you can stomach you.

Again and again I'm surprised to see how people cannot differentiate between the quality of a movie and the likability of characters in the movie. So you didn't like the characters in the movie, you thought they were annoying or evil. And so you conclude that the movie was crap. What kind of logic in that? Your IQ must be 70 or lower.

I loved the movie, although at first I disliked the ending. However, the more I thought and tried to understand it, the more beautifully haunting it seemed.


The ending was perfect, it brought the entire movie together. I realized how important that last scene really is, as it pretty much explained how he planned it this entire time. This review doesn't give enough credit for what Joshua really was, as he really was a smart and calculating kid (still psychotic). But it only REALLY came out once his parents brought the new baby home and deprived him of further attention and genuine love (which he already felt was not being provided as it is). Long story short, mother was crazy and distant, dad was obsessed with work and tried too hard with the kid (mostly cuz he had to), and Joshua just wanted to be with his uncle, who was the only person that really tried to understand and cared for him for who he really was.