This could have been a different and much better movie. Apparently I saw a potential depth to it that completely escaped the filmmakers. So I find myself in the odd position of disagreeing with all the other reviewers. What they hated about it I liked. What they liked about it I hated. I was unaware of the filmmakers' link to the splatter film "Hatchet", which I have not watched and have no intention to. So my review of this film is based solely upon its own merits and not on any similarity or differences to some other movie. So, what's right about this movie? I actually liked the slow development of the characters. I came to care about them. I began to root for the budding relationship between the two leads. Was Mason actually autistic, or was he a victim of emotional trauma? Was there hope for him to come out of his shell with the help of his quirky girlfriend Amber? Silly me. I found out too late that the movie makers didn't give a damn about the characters. They were merely fodder for the clichéd "twist" ending. What a letdown. They threw away all the potential for a serious movie by capping it with a cheap Hollywood trick from the threadbare "Screen Writing for Dummies" handbook. So, if you want a "mystery thriller", then the ending of this movie is for you, but you will become impatient with all the unnecessary character buildup preceding it. On the other hand, if you go in, as did I, unwittingly willing to care about people, especially those marginalized by society, and root for them to triumph over adversity, then skip this movie. The buildup will intrigue you and make you care. But the ending will terrifically disappoint you.
