Rooters through the horror trash bin will find more than scraps in this enjoyably loony psychodrama, which takes its sweet time getting around to the bad-seed mayhem. Vera Farmiga, dueling with an evil kid as recently as 2007’s Joshua, does subtle, naturalistic work with Peter Sarsgaard, as a couple grappling with stillbirth, infidelity and alcoholism—all exacerbated by the new, adoptive addition to the family: glassy-eyed, Russian-born Esther (Fuhrman). The script jeopardizes a deaf stepsibling shamelessly, and a last-act twist is too stupefying to believe—or, perhaps, to miss.—Joshua Rothkopf
Now playing.