Corrine (Heather Graham) is living a suburban dream. Her husband has just been promoted, and she has four beautiful children (Kiernan Shipka, Mason Dye). Then her husband dies in a crash. She's forced to go back to her parents. Her father doesn't know about the kids, and her mother (Ellen Burstyn) is a mean spirited bully. She's been written out of her father's will, and she's trying to get back into his good graces. So the kids are stashed away in the attic.

The acting is alright. This is mostly on the shoulders of the two young actors. They are mostly able bare the burden. Ellen Burstyn is grand in her performance. Heather Graham compliments her quite well. If there is one problem, it's the unimpressive directing styles. The subject matter of incest is still as controversial as ever. It hasn't lost any of its taboo since it was written. Relative unknown director Deborah Chow just doesn't have the style or the skills at this point. The restrictions of shooting in limiting sets don't help any either.

My wife who read the book many years ago was looking forward to this film adaptation. She informs me that the film was faithful to the book.

As for me I probably not the target audience for this Lifetime Original Movie. Its mainly targeted at a female audience and despite the star casting of Ellen Burstyn, it has made for TV written all over it and the largely interior sets very much displays its low budget if glossy origins.

The film is about a group of four children locked in an attic in the care of their stern and wicked grandmother while their glamorous mother (Heather Graham) tries to reconcile with her father and inherit his money. Over time the two older siblings embark on an incestuous relationship and discover that there mother has abandoned them and worse they are superfluous to her new life and they plan to escape.

The film is plain, old fashioned, even a tad hammy. Burstyn imbues her character with some emotions and care towards her grandchildren but in the main she is a harridan. Graham starts of as the caring mother but over time she has entered her own glamorous world and you get the feeling she cares less about her kids.

The younger children play their parts well, the older children did not convince. They did not look like kids locked up in an attic, malnourished, living in a troubled existence.

I recommend everyone to read the book first and then you would understand why the movie is not too good... Many scenes are simplified and lack of great details that could be shown..also some of the parts are slightly changed, but it makes a big difference. When I was watching the movie it was ok, but it just did not have that something...I think that the movie could be longer to reflect the story more and the acting could be improved as well.