Grips us precisely because its actors are so utterly absorbed in their roles, so unfettered and nakedly expressive.

The material is treated with such brutal honesty and the performances are so strong that it actually makes what should be stale material look fresh.

For all its attempts at bending the rules, Aberdeen still comes off as frustratingly conventional.

An uncompromising family tale, one that's dark but lyrical and moving in its rendering of the ties that bind even the most dysfunctional families, despite valiant efforts to destroy them.

It's a twisted, very human ride where the remarkable, effortless acting of both Headey and Skarsgard is rich with sympathy, heartbreak and morbid humor.

Miraculously manages to sidestep easy manipulation.

The people who made the Scottish Aberdeen could have saved themselves some trouble if they'd come to America and watched a couple weeks' worth of TV movies.

Under the guiding hand of co-writer-director Hans Petter Moland, the leads offer beautifully realized performances.

The characters, irritating as they can be at first, grow on you as they grow up.

[A] frank father-daughter drama.