I was curious about "The Substitute" because it was Mark Whalberg's debut as an actor but I couldn't have imagined the pleasures that this off beat melodrama had to offer. Elegantly told with unexpected holes in the narration here and there but with a thrilling central performance by Amanda Donohoe that left me kind of breathless. There is also a visual intention that is both surprising and deeply engrossing. Amanda Donohe looking at herself in the mirror at different times of her shattering journey gives you clues as to were her mind is. What does she actually see when she looks into the mirror? She was always a positive human being that was pushed into an infernal situation and instead of getting herself out she gets in deeper and deeper. I felt sympathy for her and at the same time she terrified me. The superb Hitchcockian score is another major plus.
Review of The Substitute
