Lizzie

A drama delving into the life of Lizzie Borden, the 19th-century Massachusetts woman tried and acquitted for a grisly double axe-murder. Chloë Sevigny portrays Lizzie as a troubled young woman forced into unthinkable acts by her oppressive father, and a palpable sense of dread fills the first half of Craig William Macneill's slow-moving film. That sense of unease soon gives way to boredom, though, as the plot drags by with little action other than cross words uttered in drawing rooms. By the time the gruesome finale comes, the shock of the murders has ebbed away. To her credit, Sevigny exudes intensity in the title role, but she struggles to find chemistry with Kristen Stewart as maid and lover Bridget. The Twilight star's performance drains much of the life from the pair's shared scenes, as she stares timidly while Sevigny does most of the heavy lifting. So while Sevigny brings something new to a familiar story, the film itself offers little of particular interest, and involves a lot of waiting for little dramatic reward.