The Hole (2001)

That was an excellent one.

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

This is a must-see and one of the best documentaries - and films - of this year.

The movie is surprisingly subdued in its pacing, its characterizations, and its go-for-broke sensibilities.

**spoilers guaranteed**This film has me confused a bit. On the one hand, I'm left feeling satisfied and entertained, but on the other hand, a little unhappy and slightly disappointed.Firstly, the good bits. I LOVE the fact that this is one dirty, no nonsense film with a very unhappy ending and a nice chunk of grittiness chucked in. There is no hint of Hollywood glamour in this, and for that I am grateful. Keira knightly was really good, I really believed her character. The not-so-good bits... It was extremely predictable. I mean, really?? That was supposed to be a twist? I wasn't surprised, shocked or horrified. I did a big 'meh'. I just didn't really care, and wasn't surprised! She was obviously a psycho, no suspense was built up and I was left feeling rather deflated. Also, I've never been massively dehydrated, but if I were I doubt I would think to have some rampant sex with a girl that I didn't even like previously. Also, killing a guy because he had hidden some drink? Maybe after a massive argument or after some tension had been built but there was nothing at all, the murder seemed plonked in the middle of the film for no reason. Finally, why was this girl not the prime suspect??? Why did they all believe her that they were locked in, when there was no evidence against the other guy, and there was no evidence to suggest that she had picked the lock. The only DNA and stuff they found in the hole was of the 4 teens. It doesn't take a genius to realise that the only surviving girl must have been responsible. At the very least, responsible for Geoff's murder and the manslaughter of her lover boy. Just to make the viewer feel even more annoyed, we're expected to believe that a crazy psycho survivor is to be believed over a police psychologist? Pfft, very unbelievable.But still, I applaud the fact that it was a genuinely interesting film, not cheesy, not stereotypical, and not cringe-worthy. I would actually watch it again! Worth seeing, even if you aren't 100% happy, it's a must watch to add to the list.

Attractive (but possibly cast as plain) British private school student Thora Birch (as Elizabeth "Liz" Dunn) wanders into the halls looking bloody awful. She lets out an ear-piercing scream. As it turns out, Ms. Birch and three other teenagers have been missing. Reporters calmly tell us they've been found; their manner is more of a cheat than a relief, as it turns out. In flashback, we learn Birch wants to hook up with handsome jock Desmond Harrington (as Michael "Mike" Steel). She arranges to be locked up with him in a bomb shelter near their school, thinking the close quarters will lead to copulation...Birch's childhood friend, nerdy-acting Daniel Brocklebank (as Martyn Taylor), plays a key role. Joining Birch and her prospective mate in the bomb shelter are sexy blond on blonde friends Laurence Fox (as Geoffrey "Geoff" Bingham) and Keira Knightley (as Frances "Frankie" Smith). Both have showy nude scenes; she flashes her teenage top and he has a long shower scene with the guys. Desperately needed psychological help is provided by Embeth Davidtz (as Philippa Horwood). What happened in "The Hole" is a point-of-view mystery, with Birch and Brocklebank more satisfying than the solution.***** The Hole (4/20/01) Nick Hamm ~Thora Birch, Desmond Harrington, Daniel Brocklebank, Laurence Fox

I really cannot write what I think about this movie without revealing some spoilers. However, I will put a note when I get to that spot.This was one of the most engaging films I have seen in a very long time. I made the mistake of watching it while I was studying for an exam. I thought that it wouldn't be interesting enough to pull me away from the studies. However, I ended up getting nothing done for those two hours.Going into this movie with nothing more than a vague description, I had absolutely no idea what to expect. It begins with the idea that Liz is a polite, likable school girl with an unlikely crush. In both the present actions and with the beginning of her story, it seems like the classic lonely girl loves popular boy but is too shy to get him story. Then, right when you are invested in Liz and you believe her friend Martin is a truly twisted and evil jerk, little bits of what really happened start to surface.Liz would have you believe that her story is a story about being in love. But the only thing it really is happens to be a story of selfish obsession taken to unholy depths of depravity. This story is a story about how to be as cold and heartless as you can as long as you get what you think you deserve to have.Spoiler after this line because I want to comment on the ending.I loved this movie up until the end. At the ending, I almost lowered it down to a four star rating, though. The past 15 years there is a trend that the horror villain gets no comeuppance. The ending to "The Hole" reminded me of the ending to "Cry Wolf," even though "The Hole" was released four years earlier.The police are not incompetent enough to have believed that Martin would have committed suicide in the river directly behind Liz's house. Liz is obviously not intelligent enough to murder Martin in such a way that the police would not be able to determine that he was murdered. The police are not stupid enough to believe that Liz's doctor would take her down into the hole and then fall for her whiny "help, help" when they came and saw Liz and her doctor down in the hole.This movie gives us absolutely no reason to believe that the ending is credible. It paints everyone as stupid except for Liz. The problem with this is that Liz is stupid. The only way she was able to keep them trapped in a hole is because she hid the key. And she further believed it was worth it for her best friend and best friend's boyfriend to die so she could be with someone who obviously thinks nothing of her.At least in Cry Wolf, the story was set up in a way that may have fooled investigators. "The Hole's" ending relies on the premise that the police and everyone are stupid and that you're stupid enough to not question it. It's a shame because until that happens, this was a first rate movie all the way.

As the film opens we see a bedraggled girl walking into a large school building; as she heads in we see posters asking people if they know there whereabouts of four school children. The girl is Liz and she tells the story of what happened since the four of them went missing… As the end of term approached a small group wanted to avoid going on the geography field trip to Wales and Liz's friend Martyn had an idea… he had the key to an old bomb shelter in the nearby wood; he would open it up for them and return in three days to let them out. When the three days were up he didn't return and as the days pass it becomes obvious that he isn't coming back to let them out; at first they think he might have had an accident then they start to believe that he had no intention of letting them out; he had feelings for Liz but she was only interested in Mike, the son of an American rock star. She goes on to say how they finally got out after ten days. There is a problem though; when the police arrest Martyn he claims to have had no idea they were down the hole… one of them is clearly lying; the question is; which one? It later becomes apparent that what happened in the hole was much worse than we had been told but that doesn't mean Liz was lying; she could just have been traumatised; before she can tell us the full truth she will have to return to the hole one last time.This is a gripping chiller with fine performances from the fairly young cast. Thora Birch does a fine job as protagonist Liz; portraying her as either an innocent victim or an obsessed psychopath depending on whose story we are seeing at the time. The other key cast members are Desmond Harrington who plays Mike; Daniel Brocklebank who plays Martyn and Kiera Knightly and Laurence Fox who play Frankie and Geoff the final two members of the group. The only major adult character is Dr. Philippa Horwood, the woman interviewing Liz, played by Embeth Davidtz. The way the story is told keeps us guessing as to who is to blame for the predicament; in fact we don't learn just how serious things are until quite a way into the proceedings. Director Nick Hamm did a fine job creating a claustrophobic feel and a constant sense of distrust. I'd certainly recommend watching this; in fact watch it more than once; things seem quite different at times when you know what really happened!