aquascape Movies that have different storytelling techniques are always appealing to watch and "The Dead Girl" does it by segmenting the narrative structure into five chapters, all inter-connecting in the end. You definitely need to have a well-written script for even attempting such a film and I think that is where it falls a bit flat."The Dead Girl" tells the story young girl, played by the regretted Brittany Murphy, who is murdered and shows us the different people that were affected by or were directly affecting the death of the girl. The premise sounds stunning and the acting is astounding from the likes of a hugely talented cast, Brittany Murphy, Toni Collette, Giovanni Ribisi or Marcia Gay Harden just to name a few. Some segments made sense and were better than other, but there were a couple that simply didn't work out in my opinion."The Dead Girl" has an interesting take on the murder mystery genre but it's just not that entertaining in the long haul. I have seen a lot of praises for it, each to his or her valid opinions, but it just did not captivate me enough to say that it's a great movie.

begob Simple story told beautifully. Several tributaries that could cause confusion, but each character is real and crystal clear, and each actor plays the part to perfection.There are five sections, and in each the protagonist has a dilemma of making or breaking a connection to change their life - a fateful decision. That's a simplified description, and it's clear each sequence takes great skill.The key role is the dead girl - if she's not likable, then I guess the whole thing fails, and yet she has to be seriously flawed. Well, the actress got this spot on with charming volatility.But in the end it must be the director/writer who gets the praise.If there is one flaw it's maybe that the end trailed off gently. The randomness of death should be awesome, not just sad.ps. I recommend a smaller film, Toad Road - a similar story with different structure, but extra spookiness. Plus tragic real-life end for the lead actress.

SnoopyStyle Arden (Toni Collette) is a painfully shy and isolated living her cruel bed ridden mother (Piper Laurie). One day she finds a dead girl in her yard. She becomes the talk of the town and is asked out by the creepy bag boy Rudy (Giovanni Ribisi).Leah (Rose Byrne) is a dutiful fragile daughter. Her parents (Mary Steenburgen, Bruce Davison) is still searching for their missing daughter for 15 years. Leah suffers from the oppressive need to find her sister.Ruth (Mary Beth Hurt) and Carl (Nick Searcy) are a fighting couple with a storage place. She finds some troubling things in one of the storage lockers.Melora (Marcia Gay Harden) has come to L.A. looking for her runaway daughter last seen as a 16 year old Krista (Brittany Murphy). She befriends Krista's former roommate Rosetta (Kerry Washington).Usually a multi-storyline movie like this can be a problem. The common trouble happens when some of the story really disappoints. The good news for this movie is that every story is compelling with great actors. The movie starts with the amazing Toni Collette and never really declines in the class of acting. Director/writer Karen Moncrieff has crafted a very simple story. It's the powerful acting that elevates the movie.

kkkathryn1019 "The Dead Girl" is an exceptional piece of film-making. The star-studded cast and their powerful performances give this mystery/thriller profundity and emotional depth that will leave an impression long after the closing credits. The story is told in 5 different segments, each focusing on a woman and their connection, whether deep or superficial, to the dead girl. Writer/director Karen Moncrieff manages to convey so much about her characters and their depth in each short segment. We feel as if we know this character already, and the film we see is just a peek into their lives.In "The Stranger", Arden (the always wonderful Toni Collette), is a painfully shy young woman caring for her ill, abusive mother (Piper Laurie) and harboring painful memories of a young brother who died. After finding the dead girl in her backyard, a grocery store clerk (Giovanni Ribisi) recognizes her from the news and asks her on a date. This series of events leads her to break free of her mother's grasp and embark on a new, healthier life. In "The Sister", Leah (Rose Byrne, FX's "Damages"), is a young student interning at the Medical Examiner's office who prepares the dead girl for her autopsy. Her family (Mary Steenburgen plays her mother) is grieving over and actively searching for her younger sister Jenny, who disappeared from a state park 15 years ago. Deeply lonely and depressed, Leah's notion that this dead girl could be her long-lost sister seems to give her the closure she needs and to move on with her life, accepting her colleague (James Franco)'s invitation to a party at his home, leading to a romantic relationship. "The Wife" is the weakest segment, featuring the character the audience will have the least sympathy for. Ruth (Mary Beth Hurt) is a depressed woman in her mid-50's in a loveless, empty marriage to Carl (Nick Searcy). Carl leaves for days at a time, and Ruth suspects he is consorting with prostitutes and threatens to leave, but doesn't have the courage to do so. After hearing of a serial killer on the news and finding suspicious items in the garage, Ruth chooses to hide this evidence and continue looking the other way when it comes to her husband's actions, as she has always done."The Mother" features a heartbreakingly real performance by Marcia Gay Harden as the dead girl's mother, Melora. She comes to L.A. to identify the body of her daughter, whom she hasn't seen since she ran away at 16. Peeking at the detective's file, Melora sees her daughter's last-known address, a motel room. She meets her daughter's roommate (a dynamic Kerry Washington) and begins to piece together the heartwrenching details of her life and death, sliding the mystery into place for the final segment, "The Dead Girl". Brittany Murphy is raw, gritty, compelling, and heartbreaking as the dead girl, Krista Kutcher. A drug addicted prostitute desperately trying to put her life back together, the audience watches achingly as the decisions that lead to her demise unfold. Josh Brolin appears briefly as her boyfriend/client. The ending is brilliantly devastating in its subtlety and simplicity. The audience knows what happens. This story is not about showing the gory details. "The Dead Girl" is told masterfully, with each successive segment involving you deeply in each character's life while unfolding pieces of the larger puzzle. Absorbing and realistic; while certainly not a happy or uplifting story, "The Dead Girl" is a beautiful portrayal of women's lives and their struggles.