So, this whole movie was a shock. I was trying to find something to watch on one of my rare free nights and saw Emma Thompson starring in a thriller as a Minnesota woman. Automatic watch for me. First of all, I wanted to see how well she did the accent (I LOVED IT just by the way, and never should have had any doubts in the first place), and second of all? I wanted to see Emma Thompson in a thriller. 

What did I like about this movie, you ask? Well, I absolutely adored the subplot of Barb and her husband as they grew up, got to know each other, and built a life together. After all, the whole reason Barb was going to the lake was for her husband. You get so much personality towards Barb in those few flashbacks and the sentimentality of it gave the whole movie a lot more depth. Not only that, but this lady was BADASS. Emma Thompson did so well as a sweet, unassuming granny who actually can hold her own. Buuuut that comes with some setbacks. 

Our main villains are a couple (never named, mind you) who are desperate for something (you obviously find out the reason later in the movie). The man, (Marc Menchaca) seems like the main antagonist, but ultimately, you just end up feeling sorry for the guy because you quickly find out that his wife (Judy Greer) calls all the shots. This couple’s reasoning for kidnapping the poor girl (Laurel Marsden) (who you eventually find out is named Leah) was kind of outlandish. Not only that, but even though I loved the fact that Barb was so resourceful, there were a few moments I was like “how the heck would she even think to do that?” Almost made me wonder if she was an ex-con at some point. 

So, plot? A little hole-y. Characters? Pretty awesome but they also kind of make you cock your head at certain points. Pacing? ON POINT. 

Spoilers ahead.

Alright, so there are a couple of things I want to mention. Obviously don’t read further if you don’t want the movie to be spoiled. So the reason the couple were trying to kidnap this young girl? To steal her freaking liver. Apparently the wife is dying (not sure if they ever mention why she needs the liver), she sucks on fentanyl sucker things like nobody’s business, and her poor unfortunate husband takes the brunt of all the abuse. He falls in a lake and basically is freezing to death? She guilts him because “she really needs him right now”. Dude is on his last life, Barb sticks a pickax into his foot, and he begs for mercy. She lets him go and what do you know? He runs smack dab into his wife who puts a bullet through his head. I seriously felt bad for the guy. 

Now, for the woman? Jeez, like I know you need a liver, but you seriously went as far as to kidnap a girl, say it’s okay because she had tried to kill herself once, and you were going to cut out this girl’s liver while she was AWAKE? Dang, Judy Greer was ruthless in this movie. The cherry on top? Barb literally handcuffed herself to this woman, got out her husband’s ashes, and sank all three of them (the woman, herself, and her husband’s remains) into the frozen lake to die. I actually liked the poetic aspect of it all because Barb really missed her husband. The only thing that left me wondering was like, where the heck was that girl gonna go? I would just assume that she’d die out there if no one drove by….

Overall, I really did enjoy this movie and it was a good thriller for anyone who enjoys that type of movie. Seeing Emma Thompson in this role with a Minnesota accent was honestly so cool and I enjoyed that the most. Solid movie in my opinion and definitely worth a watch!

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