Beautiful (2009)

21% of users liked it
(331 ratings)

A 14 year old shutterbug is persuaded by his beautiful 17 year old neighbor to investigate a series of bizarre abductions when the gorgeous girl voices suspicions that a reclusive widow from their wealthy suburb is to blame for the unsolved crimes. Sunshine Hills was the kind of place where nothing… More A 14 year old shutterbug is persuaded by his beautiful 17 year old neighbor to investigate a series of bizarre abductions when the gorgeous girl voices suspicions that a reclusive widow from their wealthy suburb is to blame for the unsolved crimes. Sunshine Hills was the kind of place where nothing bad ever happened - until the local teenage girls began to vanish without a trace. Now paranoia has taken hold, and everyone's a suspect. Meanwhile, adolescent photographer Daniel begins focusing his lens on Suzy, a stunning beauty whose amateur sleuthing has led her to suspect that the withdrawn widow in number 46 has a hand in the disappearances. Suzy knows that she can use her beauty to manipulate Daniel into doing her bidding, but as the mystery grows so too does the danger of crossing the path of someone who will stop at nothing to continue their malevolent crime spree unabated. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi

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Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 43 min.
Directed By: Dean O'Flaherty
Written By: Dean O'Flaherty
Genres: Drama, Art House & International, Mystery & Suspense

In Theaters: Mar 5, 2009 Wide
On DVD: Jun 29, 2010
Studio: E1 Entertainment

Critic Reviews

Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Cryptic Australian thriller, the first film by Dean O'Flaherty, about some girls who disappear from an idyllic suburb ...
Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile
Clearer storytelling would bring into focus the various aspects of the film that are scattered throughout with nothing to glue them together.

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Featured Audience Ratings

Cynthia S

This one suprised me. A young beautiful girl gets an even younger boy to do her bidding, which has malice. She does this just for her own entertainment, and just because she can. The boy and the girl are both unknown actors whom do a good job facilitating the story. Some of the other… More
This one suprised me. A young beautiful girl gets an even younger boy to do her bidding, which has malice. She does this just for her own entertainment, and just because she can. The boy and the girl are both unknown actors whom do a good job facilitating the story. Some of the other actors are not as compelling, but all in all its worth a watch. While the story has been told before, it does manage to pull off an ending that you dont entirely see coming....even though a little confusing.
Mark A

An intriguing, if somewhat incomplete, story of a shy young man who is manipulated by his attractive older neighbor into spying on the mysterious woman at #46. Their overactive imaginations are inflamed by the mysterious disappearance of three teenage girls from the neighborhood and… More
An intriguing, if somewhat incomplete, story of a shy young man who is manipulated by his attractive older neighbor into spying on the mysterious woman at #46. Their overactive imaginations are inflamed by the mysterious disappearance of three teenage girls from the neighborhood and the strange behavior of the reclusive woman in the house at the end of the street. Danny (Sebastian Gregory) has a crush on Suzy (Tahnya Tozzi) and is easily persuaded to do her dirty work. The fact that his mother is no longer in the picture has a bearing on the story, and Peta Wilson is marvelous as his stepmother. Her character exhibited just the right mix of tender and tough. The plot has some holes and stretches credibility, especially with an ending designed more to shock than to solve the mystery. It is entertaining, just don't ask too much from it.
Doctor S

I should have listened to the underwhelming response here, but the intriguing trailer on Encore gave me hope that even if it wasn't any good, it'd be interesting to watch. And it is, for awhile, until the glacial pace drags you down with it. This is essentially… More
I should have listened to the underwhelming response here, but the intriguing trailer on Encore gave me hope that even if it wasn't any good, it'd be interesting to watch. And it is, for awhile, until the glacial pace drags you down with it. This is essentially <i>Australian Beauty</i> with the voyeuristic photographer kid and his attractive neighbor parts thrust into the ugly-beneath-the-polished-facade world of <i>Blue Velvet</i> as they probe the mysteries behind the doors of the house at #46. The introverted photographer kid looks like Elijah Wood at his most bewildered and is very one-note, which grows frustrating as he is supposed to carry the movie. The pacing of many scenes is awful and drag on for no reason so I grew tired of this potentially interesting mystery, and then got completely shortchanged with a pathetic ending that is as hard to swallow as it is underwritten. Save your time and don't bother.