I never read the novel, so can fortunately spare you any "the book's better" comments on this one. That said, I can imagine that a written version of this story's notion of heaven and 'limbo' might be less problematic (for me, at least!) than the filmic version: one thing I really did not enjoy about the film was its depiction of a sort of happy afterlife/happy ever after for the women murdered by a serial killer. It reminded me of the one Catholic funeral I attended: too much talk of "everybody dies" and not enough acknowledgement and acceptance of what has actually happened when a life - a child's life, or whatever - is taken through the deliberate actions of another. To me, this is not a necessary element of a positive message about moving on from such a death (rather than dwelling on 'revenge'). Similarly, I dislike the narrative trick of killing off the bad guy without anyone living being able to face him about his behaviour: it seems trite to punish somone in a way that is so clearly a narratve device, and bears absolutely no relation to the harsh reality of making your protagonist the victim of a serial killer....
Rather more positive things to say about this film are that its star, Saorise Ronan (Suzy Salmon) is brilliantly cast, and Susan Sarandon - as Suzy's grandmother, Lynn - is pretty cool, too. Also, it's fab to hear the Cocteau Twins in a contemporary film, even if they are used in the weird limbo sequences that I am not so sure about!
The film makes an interesting contrast, I think, to the very many and more familiar TV shows about serial killers, where the emphasis - and usually the viewer 'identification' - lies with the police, or individual detective/s, investigating the murder or multiple crimes. In this sense, it makes a change, and does at least allow for some thought about the wider impact of a murder - other than as a mystery to be solved. In this respect, it's also quite pleasing to have the murderer truly unmasked by another young woman - Suzy's sister, Linsey (Rose McIver). This makes up somewhat (though not much, for me!) for the film's bizarre portrayal of Harvey (stanley Tucci)'s numerous female victims as all acceptance and happy lightness: Linsey is persistent and defiant, yet manages to avoid the violence resorted to by her desperatebut ineffectual father (Mark Wahlberg).
I'm not sure what I think about "the kiss", and the importance it's imbued with by the film: the notion that Suzy's using Ruth (Carolyn Dando)'s body as a conduit through which to have her first (and only) kiss - from Ray Singh (Reece Ritchie), whom she was meant to meet at the mall shortly after her untimely death - is a more pleasing end than her body being discovered before it end sup in landfill is one that does not really sit right with me. This is not to deny the significance and beauty of a first kiss (for those lucky enough to have it with someone like Ray); it just again seems to be too much in the land of fantasy - along with the fluffy clouds and trees of the film's limbo-land - to indicate a real, genuine acceptance of the horror done to and experienced by Suzy and the oher murdered women.
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