Frailty

FRAILTY

A thriller from 2001, Frailty has two twist endings too many but otherwise is worth a look.  The story is told in non-linear fashion with an unreliable narrator and sometimes features flashbacks within flashbacks.  The tale begins with a man telling an FBI agent that his brother is a serial killer.  From then until the final couple of sequences, the narrative alternates between the present “guy telling a tale to an FBI agent” scenes and flashbacks to the guy’s childhood with his father and brother.  The father seemingly goes mad gradually, claiming that God has chosen his family to destroy demons.  He ropes the kids into helping him kidnap and murder these “demons” (an angel visits him and provides a list of names).  One brother believes in Dad’s mission, while the other does not.  To say much more would be to spoil the better surprises.

Frailty delves into unbelievable territory at times (an FBI agent working alone takes a witness/suspect to the middle of nowhere late at night with no backup) but is generally an engrossing and enjoyable film.  Screenwriter Brent Hanley also penned an excellent episode of Masters of Horror titled Family.  Frailty grows increasingly horrifying as the father progresses from a belief in a divine calling to full-blown ax murder in front of his children.  I’m sorry that Frailty slipped under my radar until now.