Probably like most first time viewers, I had no real knowledge of the legend of Lizzie Borden other than her relationship with an ax and two dead parents. I never even considered that she might have been found innocent of murder following a jury trial; funny how hearsay clouds one's judgment until exposed to the real story. As Lizzie Borden, Christina Ricci does turn in an ambiguous portrayal that leads one to suspect that she had it in her to dispose of her father and stepmother. In one scene in which she bids good night to sister Emma (Clea DuVall), she has a real creepy look, and you get the idea that she was fully capable. The real Lizzie Borden was acquitted of the murder charge in 1893 in a highly publicized trial, though the story here intimates that Lizzie made a confession to Emma that she really did it. Modern day theorists have come up with all kinds of speculation.
Given the grim manner of the deaths of Andrew (Stephen McHattie) and Abby (Sara Botsford) Borden, and the sensationalistic DVD cover that comes with the movie, one would think the representation of the murders would be a gore fest of extreme proportion. But the film takes a much more even handed approach to the crime, even if there are a handful of flashback visions consisting of bloody violence. The oddest thing about the movie, given it's historical placement in the late 1890's, is the anachronistic rock soundtrack that has no real connection to the events on screen, other than to attract a youthful modern day audience. At least that's the way I saw it, if you ax me.
Given the grim manner of the deaths of Andrew (Stephen McHattie) and Abby (Sara Botsford) Borden, and the sensationalistic DVD cover that comes with the movie, one would think the representation of the murders would be a gore fest of extreme proportion. But the film takes a much more even handed approach to the crime, even if there are a handful of flashback visions consisting of bloody violence. The oddest thing about the movie, given it's historical placement in the late 1890's, is the anachronistic rock soundtrack that has no real connection to the events on screen, other than to attract a youthful modern day audience. At least that's the way I saw it, if you ax me.