A parent’s worst nightmare is that their child will be kidnapped right out from under them, and one of society’s most sickening crimes is pedophilia.
What happens when these two subjects combine, and what are the implications for those involved?
The Captive, a new film from director Atom Egoyan, stars Ryan Reynolds, Rosario Dawson, Scott Speedman, explores the relationships between husband and wife, child and parent, victim and predator and the investigators who are trying to end the torment that comes from the ensuing loss and abuse.
The Captive is a psychological thriller in the eeriest meaning of the word, and right from the get-go you are engulfed in a sense of foreboding. The film’s opening scene shows multiple cameras a man has installed in his house, all of which he has hooked up to some weird-ass freaky safe room/panic room central hub – what a trippy opening to a very delicate theme.
Things look weird already. There’s a shower stall in what looks like a young girl’s bedroom, and it’s all very intriguing and disturbing. You know you’re in for a film that will affect you for a while.
But rather than merely focus on the crimes being committed, The Captive goes deeper into the experiences of all affected, from husband and wife Matthew and Tina Lane ((Reynolds and Enos), their daughter Cass (Alexia Fast), the two investigators Nicole Dunlop and Jeffrey Cornwall (Rosario Dawson and Scott Speedman) and finally Cass’ captor, Mika (Kevin Durand).
Ryan Reynolds as tortured father and husband is pretty good here. Just when you thought he was a bit ‘vanilla’ (everyone remembers Definitely, Maybe) he turns out a brilliant performance. There’s not a trace of the Green Lantern here, and his portrayal of a man consumed with guilt at the loss of his daughter under his care is heartbreakingly good. He gives the most telling line in the whole film when he says, “The police – they’re in this together with the judges and the lawyers and the priests – the people we’re supposed to trust.”
Mireille Enos as the mother, Tina Lane, is just as good. She’s also haunted by her daughter’s disappearance but goes about her life like she has no choice and no hope. Through Enos, we see the way a once-strong marriage is rocked by disaster. She blames her husband for their daughter’s adduction (“I can’t even look at him, all I see is him.”) and can’t move past the fact that Matthew ‘lost’ their daughter.
The two investigators put on the case to end the pedophile ring are in many ways the opposite of the Lanes. Through their work as police investigators they form a bond, and while careers brings them closer together, it also brings Nicole closer to danger. Then, a little bit like Matthew, Jeffrey becomes heavily involved in bringing creepy Mika (Kevin Durand) to justice.
The only minor negative about The Captive is the portrayal of Mika by Durand. While Durand does a very good job of showing how a depraved pedophile’s mind works, it reinforces the belief that pedophiles are, on the surface, creepy and slimy men. It would be worthwhile for a film to show a pedophile who was unassuming, and seemingly normal to everyone, to show that they are just like everyone else on the outside and that the real menace lies beneath their everyday exterior and professions. What’s needed is a film to show that anyone can be a monster.
The Captive is not an easy film to watch, because it doesn’t shy away from the truly horrible realities of what child pornographers enjoy or how they access their material. The use of flashbacks and flash-forwards heighten the suspense of the film, and, with the film taking place in the six years between the adduction and the present day, you get a real understanding of the main characters and how Cass’ abduction has shaped their lives in the years since.
You will think about this film long after you’ve left the cinema.
THE CAPTIVE IS RATED MA15+ AND SCREENS NATIONALLY FROM THURSDAY 4 DECEMBER.
