Young Lucas, an adventurous young boy, is seen as a fearless creature who seems to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time. When we first meet him, he accompanies his mother to a sort of care center for the blind. There are reports of a slasher that is cutting the faces of some of the blind people that attend the center. When he follows one of the women, who leaves nearby, he watches in horror as her face is slashed by the intruder. Lucas flees to the cemetery nearby, where he likes to play. It's at this point that we realize something is wrong with Lucas, who ends up spying on his half sister posing for a photographer.
Then, everything changes.
The mere reality is that everything one has witnessed is just not so. The fact is that Lucas is going blind if he doesn't have the operation to save his sight. His loving parents, Frank and Miriam, are ecstatic because they are expecting another baby, something that doesn't play well in the young boy's mind. Lucas, who probably feels jealousy toward the unborn baby, thinks of ways of dealing with the intrusion in his life. His obsession with knitting needles prove to be a dangerous proposition.
Mark Peploe, who co-wrote the screen play, creates a film that will be disorienting for a lot of viewers, but which ultimately, satisfy the ones that stay close to the story. There are many indications the first section of the movie is just how Lucas' mind work, just the opposite of what one sees on the screen.
Ben Keyworth, who plays young Lucas, is perfect for the role. He makes the most of his Lucas, by just being where he is. This boy is an enigma who is not immediately understood and has to assert himself. James Fox and Fanny Ardant play the parents. The supporting cast does fine under Mr. Peploe's direction.
"Afraid of the Dark" is a film that makes the viewer think because it's not what one sees what's really is going in Lucas' mind.
Then, everything changes.
The mere reality is that everything one has witnessed is just not so. The fact is that Lucas is going blind if he doesn't have the operation to save his sight. His loving parents, Frank and Miriam, are ecstatic because they are expecting another baby, something that doesn't play well in the young boy's mind. Lucas, who probably feels jealousy toward the unborn baby, thinks of ways of dealing with the intrusion in his life. His obsession with knitting needles prove to be a dangerous proposition.
Mark Peploe, who co-wrote the screen play, creates a film that will be disorienting for a lot of viewers, but which ultimately, satisfy the ones that stay close to the story. There are many indications the first section of the movie is just how Lucas' mind work, just the opposite of what one sees on the screen.
Ben Keyworth, who plays young Lucas, is perfect for the role. He makes the most of his Lucas, by just being where he is. This boy is an enigma who is not immediately understood and has to assert himself. James Fox and Fanny Ardant play the parents. The supporting cast does fine under Mr. Peploe's direction.
"Afraid of the Dark" is a film that makes the viewer think because it's not what one sees what's really is going in Lucas' mind.