The Dead Girl

The realistic performances, dark grainy cinematography and the decaying landscapes are all a far cry from the traditional settings in Hollywood movies we are so accustomed to seeing. Moncrieff eschews the trappings of a thriller, and instead takes us on a painful, but ultimately more rewarding journey of self discovery and worth. ... Full Review

WHY NOW: Spiridonov gives the year's best performance by a child. This one passed me by in its short run as well, until I dug out the disc for this story. Best movies of 2007 that (almost) nobody saw ... Full Review

Still, for all the violence done to Rosetta (a prostitute who expects nothing good will come to her) or Melora (who now can only imagine what her daughter went through and blame herself), the film's most remarkable image belongs to "The Wife", Ruth (Mary Beth Hurt in a bravely irritating performance)..... ... Full Review

Stark film riddled with desires -....And we get few scattered insights into the dead girl, who is less the star of the film than the single bleak excuse for it.....In this section and others, vehement acting and effective film craft buoy a screenplay that's riddled with holes..... ... Full Review

do little to mar the movie as a whole.....The film is not without its flaws:.... ... Full Review

Her death is the focal point of a number of seemingly unrelated storylines featuring a venerable ensemble cast.....Moncrieff simply stifles all life from the film, painting all in shadow and no light.....While trying to introduce humor into a film titled The Dead Girl may have been inappropriate, some life-affirming elements would have been nice..... ... Full Review

Characters from one segment do not overlap with those from another (with one crucial exception); the stories relate thematically instead, with mothers and daughters enduring fractured relationships, and with every female protagonist in desperate need of escaping a bad situation. ... Full Review

we know of Krista's impending demise, but also due to Moncrieff revealing the culprit, an alleged serial killer, well before we reach the climax.....But overall, it's the actors who keep this bleak film from becoming a complete downer.....if Moncrieff wasn't so obviously talented.....The Dead Girl" is an ensemble murder mystery told via a fractured, non-linear narrative.... ... Full Review

The outstanding performances and writing would make The Dead Girl a great film even if all Moncrieff did was turn on her camera and aim it at the actors, but she adds yet another layer of meaning to the piece via her thoughtfully considered visual style. ... Full Review

ADVERTISEMENT "The Sister," the film's second (and weakest) segment, casts Rose Byrne as Leah, a forensics student who is convinced that the body is that of her missing sister. Her 15 minutes of fame lead her to an awkward relationship with a creepy grocery clerk (a buffed-out, tattooed Giovanni Ribisi) who displays an almost scholarly knowledge of the tendencies of serial killers. ... Full Review