In an otherwise convincing and entertaining film, immersion is quickly broken when we are introduced to one of the characters, Amy. Our first encounter has her counting smarties in some milk bar, which is seemingly all her position in the company entails. However, when questioned by the protagonist about how many smarties there are she responds with "I dunno". ARE YOU KIDDING ME! HOW CAN SOMEONE MESS UP SOMETHING SO BENINE AS COUNTING SOME LOLLIES! After this scene it was impossible to become reinvested in the story and, quite frankly, breaks this film.

No idea why this was so poorly rated, because it's a good, solid, if sad, story. The acting was good, especially the lead. Perhaps they were expecting something like a shallow Hollywood thriller or horror flick. That's not this. This is a slow-burning, disturbing tale that kept my attention the entire time. Yes, it has some quirks in the cinematography and musical choices, but this is a very good dark family drama.

I consistently see a lot if Australian, UK, NZ, CA, etc. movies with ridiculously low scores and bad reviews, and all I can think of is the viewers must be middle Americans who only like American Hollywood, predictable, cookie-cutter movies.

That said, this is a sad, disturbing movie, so don't watch it if you are expecting something else.

DON'T SHOW MOTHER is an indie thriller from Australia that tackles the subject of domestic abuse. It goes for a psychological approach but doesn't work due to the fact that the whole thing is poorly written and the characters unconvincing. A son and his mother flee from an abusive situation. The low key look is entirely predictable and the twists that do arise are anything but surprising. Instead, this is a long-winded bore.