Search - The Kindness of Strangers on DVD

A Cautionary Tale for Overworked Moms

Hikari | Lima, OH USA | 08/01/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If you're thinking of taking a pass on this TV movie because of its unmistakable similarity to "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle", reconsider. All the plot elements of its big-budget Hollywood predecessor are there, down to the brunette/blonde dynamic of the two lead actresses, but this version presents a much more complex portrait of psychological disturbance that, though quieter, is more unsettling in its greater realism. Earth mother Ellie finds herself overwhelmed with the demands of being a stay-at-home mom to twins after leaving her job as the office manager for her husband's construction business, and her marriage is feeling the strain. Enter Fiona, a friendly, well-bred fellow shopper willing to lend a hand whom Ellie keeps running into at the supermarket. They drink coffee; Fiona listens sympathetically, and she's so good with the babies. In a short time she is Ellie's constant companion and unpaid au pair. When Ellie's husband Joe hires Fiona to fill Ellie's old position in the office, the relationship between the two women starts to go off the rails, as Fiona ingratiates herself more and more into Ellie's role, not just at the office, but at home, too. Bit by bit, she is arranging a stealth takeover of not only Ellie's life, but of her sanity. The resolution grows increasingly predicatable, but this movie keeps us guessing in the getting there just when Fiona's hand will be revealed. American movie viewers expecting a big bang-up "Fatal Attraction" style finale in which the monster gets her comeuppance from the righteous, wronged wife will not get it here. The ending we do get is lower-key and vague, in keeping with the movie's very British sensibility of not overdoing things. Even without Hollywood fireworks, the strong performances by Julie Graham as Ellie and Hermione Norris as Fiona keep you watching. Graham has the showier, more passionate role as the beleagered Ellie; Norris is more self-contained, the picture of delicate, classy femininity until she gives us a glimpse of the twisted mind under the prim facade. Fans of the "Bridget Jones" movies will recognize Pearson, who plays the well-meaning and clueless Joe. Another outstanding crime drama from BritTV giant Granada, producers of the "Prime Suspect" series."