tales of an ordinary girl

I didn't like this movie when I first saw it a few weeks ago. In fact, I didn't even find it interesting until the movie was at least halfway through. And it wasn't until it was over and I had a few days to think on it that I realized that I liked it. I think my opinion of this movie was so low by the middle that I was surprised by the ending. I didn't reconcile the ending until much later. I don't mean to imply that this is a deep movie, but as I watched it I was disturbed by a few of the scenes.

The movie is a typical survival horror, ending in suspenseful, action-packed scenes. The cast is sparse, and of the six women, only two of them are really memorable - Juno and Sarah. What made this movie work for me were the interactions between Sarah and Juno.

*** Spoilers Below ***


One year after a tragic car accident where Sarah loses her husband and daughter, six friends get together to go on a caving expedition. The group learns that Juno led them to an unexplored cave instead of the cave they had planned to explore after a cave-in blocks their exit. Knowing that no one will know to come look for them, the group continues on, hoping to find another exit.

Typical to a survival horror, members of the group run ahead, even after being cautioned to not split up. The suspense is compounded by Sarah, who keeps seeing something in the caves and who also has been having dreams and hallucinations of her dead daughter.

The movie finally gains momentum about halfway through in one scene where we finally learn whether Sarah is really seeing something, a strange gollum-esque creature that attacks one of the girls. In the chaos, several run off and into the caves, but Juno stays behind to help her friend that the strange creature is attempting to drag off.

As the women struggle to survive, Sarah finds out what I knew all along - Juno was having an affair with her husband before he died. When Sarah also suspects Juno of killing one of their friends she goes on a rampage, killing many of the creatures, and ultimately all of them.