Skip to content

PRODIGY

Written By:

James Hanton
Prodigy

If X-Men was ever mixed with Silence of the Lambs, you would end up with something like Prodigy. Indeed, the moment when Officer Birch (Emilio Palame) warns Professor Fonda (Richard Neil) against so much as breathing the wrong way when inside the interrogation room harks the almost identical scene with Agent Starling on her way to lay eyes on Hannibal Lector. Instead of a people-eating middle-aged man, the ‘national security threat’ is nine-year-old Ellie (Savannah Liles). Ellie is a child with an overwhelming intellect, a baffling vocabulary and endless sarcasm. It’s up to Fonda to break through her steely exterior using a risky game of wits.

A dubious portrayal of mental health aside, Ellie’s case is fascinating and unpeeled piece by piece by Alex Haughey and Brian Vidal’s script. A case of disturbed childhood is thrown off course by a revelation revealed over a game of chess, after which you feel increasingly numb and unsettled. This is in no small part down to Liles, who gives a phenomenal showing as Ellie. Her disconcerting demeanour and frostiness are part of a powerhouse performance that draws parallels with Pierce Gagnon in Looper six years ago.

Fonda’s sympathy for Ellie – shown well by Richard Neil, the most likeable of all the cast – is only shared by Olivia (Jolene Andersen). None of the other characters feels the same, although many are not given the time they merit to really know for sure. Harvey Q. Johnson’s character especially seems like he has a lot more to say but not the running time to say it. Not to mention Aral Gribble as the least flattering stereotype of a technician you are ever likely to see.

But the focus is very much on Ellie and Fonda, and it is there interactions that make Prodigy such a fixating experience. Behind the complexly-worded dialogue, there is palpable tension as Fonda bends the rules to try and get inside Ellie’s head, which she is not partial to. When the film reaches the end, it is enough to give you heart palpitations. The mystery, paranoia and action are all captured extremely well, and throughout there is a claustrophobic effect caused by keeping almost all the action in one or two rooms.

Prodigy has some wordy but thoughtful dialogue and it’s a story told well by directors Haughey and Vidal. It’s about as heart-warming as a rabid alligator and twice as scary, but as psychological dramas go it ticks all the right boxes. Liles is unarguably the star, but the rest of the film is by no means left trembling in her wake.

 

PRODIGY / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: ALEX HAUGHEY, BRIAN VIDAL / STARRING: RICHARD NEIL, SAVANNAH LILES, JOLENE ANDERSON, EMILIO PALAME, DAVID LINSKI / RELEASE DATE:  OUT NOW (NETFLIX)

James Hanton

You May Also Like...

andy and barbara muschietti, aka the muschiettis, teaming with skydance for horror label nocturna

The Muschiettis Launch Horror Label NOCTURNA With Skydance

The It-team are joining forces with Skydance to launch a brand new horror division named Nocturna, THR reports. The brother-sister filmmaking duo known as the Muschiettis – Andy and Barbara
Read More
patty jenkins returns to the star wars film rogue squadron

Patty Jenkins Returns With STAR WARS’ ROGUE SQUADRON Film

Wonder Woman director Patty Jenkins has given an encouraging update on what was presumed to be a dead project, stating that she’s back in active development on her Star Wars
Read More

Comic Book CAPITAL P Launched

Capital P Book One is the first part of a twelve-issue comic book maxi-series from writer Sam Gardner Jr and artist Jerome Canty. The official tag line is “A hero
Read More
neve campbell as sidney prescott in scream

Neve Campbell Returns To SCREAM Franchise

In an unexpected turn of events, Neve Campbell is confirmed to be returning to the Scream franchise, after several upsets to the production of Scream VII. It’s particularly surprising news
Read More

The First Trailer for THE CROW is Here

The highly anticipated remake of The Crow has its first trailer, which you can check out below. The film stars Bill Skarsgård as Eric Draven and FKA Twigs as Shelly
Read More

Submit Your Film to THE RAY HARRYHAUSEN AWARDS

The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation is once again holding an awards programme to recognise excellence in the field of stop-motion effects. This year’s submission fees have also been reduced!
Read More