Babycall review

Noomi Rapace boosts a so-so chiller

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The script needs more nurturing but Noomi Rapace takes up some of the slack in Pal Sletaune’s maternal mystery.

More vulnerable than Lisbeth Salander, Rapace’s Anna is a single mum who takes her eight-year-old son and flees his allegedly violent dad to a council flat, where her paranoia amps ambiguities – is she the threat to her son?

Low-level scares involving baby monitors provide insufficient intrigue in a narrative that’s plainly a set-up for a twist even if you’re un-versed in childcare-chiller conventions, yet the emotions flooding Rapace’s expressively fraught face offer compelling compensations.

Freelance writer

Kevin Harley is a freelance journalist with bylines at Total Film, Radio Times, The List, and others, specializing in film and music coverage. He can most commonly be found writing movie reviews and previews at 12DOVE.