Personal demons and destructive secrets from the past threatens to tear apart the lives of a Vietnam War veteran, his wife and their children, one child with special needs and another with PTSD.
An artfully drawn and beautifully acted film about a working-class family grappling with a drug-addicted ex-vet son and a mentally and physically challenged daughter.
The film hinges on a powerful central performance by Karen Allen as Elaine, the wife and mother trying to hold it all together.
Village Voice
February 09, 2016
Grief unleashes the possibility of change in this wrenching drama, allowing for an unexpected emotional thaw that rewards both stubborn optimism and traumatic resilience.
Exhaustion of mind and body is the primary sentiment in this sensitively observed family drama, drawn with an intimacy that is palpable and uncompromising.
Throughout, the filmmakers live up to the movie's title. But as the story comes to a close, they opt to wrap it in comforting cliché, and they turn a miserable but credible viewing experience into a confounding one.
An explosive family drama whose intense performances can't always compensate for such a heavy-handed scenario, Bad Hurt nonetheless marks a promising directorial debut from playwright Mark Kemble.