Hindsight (2008)

You won't be disappointed!

Fresh and Exciting

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

While certainly no Hitchcock masterpiece, this movie is nevertheless an entertaining way to pass some time. The film's cast is solid, from Miranda Bailey as Dina, to the always fantastic Jeffrey Donovan as the suspicious Paul. The premise is relatively simple- a desperate vagrant couple looks to make some quick cash by unloading Dina's baby on a childless rich couple. However, the artistic device used to convey the story is the repeated flashback while Dina reveals the story to a stranger. I personally did not know what to make of her opening up to the stranger like that, but other posts on here seem to have a better grasp on that, so read those if you want a tiny spoiler. Otherwise, the story is your run of the mill thriller. It'll keep you shocked, and even in suspense. One thing that bothered me was the darkness during the film's end points. Was hard to see what was going on! However, you make it out, and the action that unfolds is enjoyable to watch.

As the story begins, we watch a woman that appears to be a bit disoriented, walking with a baby in her arms singing a lullaby. A narrator informs us that it is her baby, but the woman carrying the infant is not really her mother. The action changes to a highway where a young woman, Dina, is seen trying to hitch a ride. A station wagon stops and she enters. The driver, Peter, appears to be a kind man that takes a big chance in giving this woman a ride. Dina begins to warm up to the older man. His demeanor elicits confidence in her, as she begins to tell him her story, that on the surface appears to be something, but is it really what happened? The viewer better pay attention because there are clues along the way that explains the situation.Dina and Ron are white trash lovers. Ron is a petty thief that has not amounted to much. His ambition is to get enough money to buy a boat and sail out of Florida. When Dina becomes pregnant, Ron is upset. Since they have nothing to do legally, they decide to capitalize in an unexpected asset: Dina's baby. The couple realizes there are desperate women that will do everything in their power, and will spend an incredible amount of money in getting a baby by whatever means.Maria, is such a woman. She's a doctor, apparently successful. She and Paul, her husband, live in a dream house. They have bought the model home in a new rich development. Paul is a lawyer and he wants to get Maria the baby she cannot have otherwise after a few trials and miscarriages. When Ron and Dina arrive at their place, they have already figured in their minds what they really want to do with this couple.Paul gets wise to their guests' real intentions. He tries to tell his wife, but she is too intent in buying it from Dina. There are indications early on that the couple is up to no good. Ron gets aggressive, never expecting that Paul is a formidable opponent. Maria, a diabetic, suffers a seizure. After all the fighting, there are only two people standing, Dina and Maria. Being a doctor, Maria figures out a way to get what she really wants, but cannot have otherwise.The premise for this film is deceptive. Director Paul Holohan, who has worked in television, was trying his hand in films. Working with Brooke Purdy's first screenplay, he created a horror drama in which what is real and what is not interplay in the story. We are surprised by Dina's frankness with a total stranger. Not only that, Peter sits in judgment, although his own take on what Dina has been telling him during the trip does not become known until the last part of the story. Then, it makes sense what we saw at the start and what is really happening at the end.Leonor Varela, the Chilean actress, has some good moments as Maria. We did not care much for Miranda Bailey's Dina. Jeffrey Donovan, Waylon Payne, and veteran actor Richard Riehle complete the cast.

The prior reviewer is right about one thing and that is that the lead actress just doesn't carry this off. FYI to that reviewer...she DIDN'T survive. Didn't you notice that the cab driver's name is Peter (as in SAINT PETER) and she for no apparent reason starts telling him all her sins on this ride to no where in particular? Then in the end Peter just says it's "time to go" when all along they've been going no where and in no hurry. She's dead dude and that's supposed to be the big "revelation" at the end as to why "Peter" talks her through her sins and gets her to admit them and feel bad about them so she can enter heaven. Anyway it's pretty corny and let's face it the plot is just downright odd with far too many over reactions by all the characters within the story to be believable. I don't care how much that woman wanted a baby, one look at these people should give anyone pause about whether those are the genes you really want in a child you raise. Hate it, though, because Jeffrey Donovan definitely should get better uses of his skills than this wreck.

Dina and Ronnie are a couple that live a carefree life taking what they want from others. They don't pay their rent, they steal cars, and don't seem to care about the consequences. All of their fun comes to a screeching halt when Dina discovers that she is pregnant. They have no way to provide for a child, so they decide to sell their baby to a desperate couple they find online. Paul and Maria live the perfect suburban lifestyle with a brand new model home and expensive cars, but what they really want has always been denied to them. They cannot have children. The action begins when the couples meet for the first time. Immediately it becomes clear that nothing is what it appears to be. Tension builds as ulterior motives are uncovered on both sides of the deal, and what was supposed to be an easy con for Ronnie and Dina spins violently out of control.The film opens with Dina hitching a ride with Peter, and she recounts her tale through a series of flashbacks. It's a interesting choice for a thriller. If not handled carefully this kind of narrative structure can ruin the momentum of a film, especially one that relies on thrills. However, this film has something more to offer. The best kind of horror film is the one that focuses on social issues or stigmas and turns them around to show us what we are really afraid of. Hindsight is about choice and the consequences of materialism. How much is one baby worth? Or that boat in Florida? How far will you go to get what you want? And why do you want it in the first place? That last question is the most important. It all comes back to morality, and, of course, a nice little twist ending to tie things off.Technically the film is sound. It has some great thrills, built up by creative use of sound and lighting design. The actors deliver well enough and the plot has enough turns to keep people guessing. There's enough gore to keep the spatter crowd entertained, and some depth for those of us who like to look in to film a little more deeply. All in all, definitely worth your time.