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Lullaby
R1 - America - Peace Arch Entertainment Review written by and copyright: Anthony Arrigo (10th February 2009). |
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The Film
 It’s always a shame when a film seems to have such promise, only to see it hampered by a number of factors too powerful for any one that shines to overcome them. Such is the case with "Lullaby", an independent film rife with clichés, inconsistent acting, an anemic color palette, and a squandered location that should have been utilized in a better manner. The film begins as we see Stephanie (Melissa Leo), a hard-working Kentucky waitress, wiring money to her drug-addled son in South Africa. After receiving the money, her son promptly picks up a hooker and brings her back to an apartment, only to be viciously assaulted and kidnapped by some South African drug dealers moments later. The local drug kingpin, T-Boy (Joey Dedio), calls Stephanie to inform her that he’s holding her son hostage and, unless she can come up with $3000 in a couple days, he’s going to kill him. So, Stephanie pulls together her limited resources, hops a flight to South Africa and goes on a scavenger hunt to find her son and pay off T-Boy’s ever-increasing ransom. But when T-Boy changes up the plan she must decide how far she’s willing to go to make things right. On paper "Lullaby" probably sounded like a good premise. Unfortunately, on film it doesn’t hold up quite so well. The script, written by first timer Donald Barton, with story contribution by "Dracula 3000" (2004) writer Ivan Milborrow, is sorely lacking in any emotionally investing characters. Stephanie, despite all her obvious hardships with life, isn’t someone we can sympathize with because of her inane actions. It is established early on that she is a chronic enabler for her drug addicted son, who is for some unknown reason living in South Africa while she remains in Kentucky. She runs through the gamut of emotions dealing with T-Boy, but when she decides to get hardass on him it’s just not believable. Tina (Lisa-Marie Schneider), the pregnant prostitute with a tarnished heart of gold, is the film’s most likeable character, but her actions are so confounding that we aren’t really sure how to feel. In one scene, after being beaten up, she cries out for her unborn child’s safety, yet ten minutes later she’s diving nose first into a pile of cocaine. Worst of all, Stephanie’s crackhead son, Steven, is a whiny, pasty drag. We not only don’t feel bad about his being kidnapped, but by the film’s hour mark we’re actually rooting for T-Boy to finally put him out of his misery. Another major problem I had with the script is the convenience with which Stephanie is able to further her search. When she is told to come up with $3000 she does so relatively quickly, even though it’s obvious she has a meager income and few people willing to assist. Then, while in South Africa she is told to get more money within 20 minutes, and she has no problem doing so. I also found it odd that she has (probably) never been to South Africa before, yet within an hour of arriving she’s running around town like a local. The film feels like one big scavenger hunt, and all Stephanie has to do is show up at a predestined location to further the story. When everything is made so easy for her it’s hard to feel any level of tension whatsoever. Director Darrell Roodt is a native of South Africa, which is where he sets all of his films. His most high profile efforts to date have been "Dangerous Ground" (1997) with Ice Cube and "Sarafina!" (1992) with Whoopi Goldberg, two films I have not seen. A quick glance at his IMDb listing shows 25 directorial credits, yet with such a lengthy resume he seems to have no style that shows through here. The direction is pedestrian at best, and the fact that he makes such little use of the South African landscape is lamentable. Had I not waited through the credits, you could have told me this was shot at a housing project in the U.S. and I would have been none the wiser. There is also no tension at any point in the film, which for a film labeled as a “thriller” leaves a lot to be desired from its audience. When a film deals with drug dealers in South Africa, viewers might tend to expect something more than waving a couple pistols around and acting tough.
Video
Even though the packaging states the film is given a “16x9 Full Frame” presentation, the disc is in fact anamorphic widescreen and presented in 1.66:1. Having been shot on either video or a low-quality film stock, "Lullaby" looks like a low-budget production. The film has a sickly, anemic yellow hue with a drab, muted color scheme. The entire film takes place during the day so black levels aren’t really an issue, but it should be noted that scenes which are dimly lit are fairly soft and don’t hold up well in contrast to the light sequences.
Audio
Options present are in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and 2.0 stereo mixes. The 5.1 track was unimpressive, with surrounds used minimally. There are moments of audio distortion that point to either a bad mix or sound shot on location that wasn’t corrected. This is a dialogue driven film, scoring is sparse and little else in the track will give your speakers much of a workout. Spanish subtitles are also available.
Extras
The only extra is the film’s theatrical trailer, presented non-anamorphic (and oddly framed), clocking in a 1 minute and 45 seconds.
Overall
I can’t say that I recommend "Lullaby" based on its inability to make me feel anything other than anguish while watching the film. The problems with the script and characters are too numerous to overlook and, though the packaging gives it the appearance of a revenge-type thriller, the end result is far from satisfying. I tempered my expectations before watching the film, and the fact that it couldn’t even meet them on the low end speaks volumes.
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