The main character in this movie is Michelle, an 18 year old girl who acts as babysitter for Bill and Sally Bartrand, a local well-to-do couple and whose life is turned upside down when Sally, for no apparent reason, commits suicide. Bill asks Michelle to help him look after his children, with whom she has a close bond, and she finds herself spending more and more time with the family. Eventually she and Bill become lovers.
Then the question suddenly arises; was Sally's death really a suicide? The police begin to find disturbing new evidence that she was in fact murdered, and there are three possible suspects- Bill, who knew that his wife was having an affair, Sally's lover Paul, who feared that she might be about to end their relationship, and Michelle herself, who is suspected of wanting Sally out of the way so that she can move into Bill's life and become the second Mrs Bartrand.
Like a couple of other reviewers I felt that this basic plot- one suspicious death, three suspects all with plausible motives- would have worked better as a "whodunit" type mystery, with a greater emphasis on the police's efforts to solve the crime and the unmasking of the culprit coming as the denouement. Unfortunately, the decision was taken to make this as a standard "girl in peril" type thriller, with Paul dropping out of the picture and Bill trying to frame Michelle for the crime. The whole thing just ends up as an average, or below average, TV movie.
The film's greatest asset is the presence of Keri Russell, who makes an attractive and appealing heroine, but none of the other actors make much impression. Overall, however, this is a good example of the sort of film which goes to show why TV movies are often regarded as dull and unadventurous. 4/10
Then the question suddenly arises; was Sally's death really a suicide? The police begin to find disturbing new evidence that she was in fact murdered, and there are three possible suspects- Bill, who knew that his wife was having an affair, Sally's lover Paul, who feared that she might be about to end their relationship, and Michelle herself, who is suspected of wanting Sally out of the way so that she can move into Bill's life and become the second Mrs Bartrand.
Like a couple of other reviewers I felt that this basic plot- one suspicious death, three suspects all with plausible motives- would have worked better as a "whodunit" type mystery, with a greater emphasis on the police's efforts to solve the crime and the unmasking of the culprit coming as the denouement. Unfortunately, the decision was taken to make this as a standard "girl in peril" type thriller, with Paul dropping out of the picture and Bill trying to frame Michelle for the crime. The whole thing just ends up as an average, or below average, TV movie.
The film's greatest asset is the presence of Keri Russell, who makes an attractive and appealing heroine, but none of the other actors make much impression. Overall, however, this is a good example of the sort of film which goes to show why TV movies are often regarded as dull and unadventurous. 4/10