An interesting movie that shows the severity when a law enforcement officer is accused by a family member of sexual abuse. Especially when it's a devout Christian family. The movie gets off to a slow start, as the father is playing poker with his police pals in the dining room. The men are talking about arresting someone that was into kinky sex, and they all have a laugh about it. The father excuses himself to put his young son to bed, and while upstairs catches his two teenage daughters playing rock music on a tape recorder. He sternly tells them to give him the tape, and not to listen to that type of music. You then see the family at church, and couldn't be more wholesome and devout. Yet, the one daughter gives her father curious looks. Later, back at home, a friendly mechanic returns one of the daughters car. And the father is put out that she's still half asleep and isn't tearing down to thank the mechanic. Then sometime later at a church camp for girls, the one daughter breaks down to a councillor. The next we see is back at home, and the councillor is getting both daughters to pack their things and come with her. The mother arrives confused, and the daughter briefly tells her what's going on, leaving her in shock. What proceeds is how the officer is taken into custody, totally at a loss why these charges would be brought against him. Through his deep conviction with faith, he begins to remember. And it gets pretty sordid what he recollects. Yet, as confessions and memories emerge, things don't quite add up. There's little or no proof or evidence to substantiate the accusations. Other than what the daughters accuse the parents of doing, and the father's confessing that he does remember doing those things. What the movie fails to show is motive. Was the daughter merely spoiled and put out with her stern father? What compelled her to bring all these other people into it, and these elaborate rituals? Why wasn't a more thorough psychiatric check done on all? The movie is good at showing the snowball effect that developed. But when relevant loose ends were exposed, it failed to take in the judicial system. She said he did it, he said he did it - case closed. But left me wondering why? Was there deep rooted hatred to their father from the get go, or did it develop more so with the prodding of testimony? Did the father, who found it difficult to show affection to his daughters figure this would be a way to show his love for them by admitting to all of their accusations? It has the premise for a great deep movie, but never goes beyond the shallow end.
