A well-acted and suspenseful horror movie that squanders its great concept as it ultimately sputters out. While the acting overall is solid, Lupita Nyong’o is fantastic, playing both the frightened mother and her creepy doppelganger. The rest of the cast is strong, and also are able to portray bizarre mirror-images of themselves that feel like distinct characters. Unfortunately, their evil selves never get fleshed out more than a few grunts and creepy mannerisms. The story has a nice buildup and a fantastic concept, but once things get interesting, the film gets a bit lost. While there’s still great tension and suspense, the plot takes some odd turns that never quite payoff. And, the attempt to explain what’s transpiring ends up making little sense and raises way too many questions. The big twist is actually fairly predictable, and the finale feels unsatisfying on multiple levels.
** out of *****