Baby Blues

 (2008) ***1/2

Loosely based on the 2001 Andrea Yates case in which the mother drowns her five children. In this film the Dad is a truck driver who is off on a run leaving his wife to tend to their newborn infant son and three other children on their remote farm. Mom starts acting weird and the kids just being kids start grating on her nerves. Ten year old Jimmy the eldest son realizes what Mom is up to after he finds his infant brother dead and he catches Mom in the act of drowning his sister. He cracks her over the head and runs off with his siblings. He spends a hellish night running from his psychotic pitchfork-wielding mother just trying to keep himself and his siblings alive.

Shockingly violent take on a disturbing subject, Colleen Porch does a hell of job as the crazed Mother; she is relentless and scary as hell. The conflicting emotions of the children are clearly displayed, should we listen to Mom or not? We are supposed to listen to Mom but she’s not right. The kids are little so I would imagine that a sudden flip in an otherwise normal parent would totally fuck with their heads. Baby Blues is fast paced and gripping, unfortunately the ending is a bit lackluster. Still, it’s definitely worth the watch.