Netflix dropped a new psychological/sci-fi thriller this weekend with Mark Miller’s ‘Prodigy’, which is directed by Alex Haughey and Brian Vidal, and introduces a cerebral film to the streaming service’s library.
Richard Neil, Savannah Liles, and Jolene Andersen star in the movie that tells the story of “a maverick psychologist must uncover the secrets of a gifted but dangerous young girl who has been placed on lockdown for her supernatural abilities.”
Highly regarded psychologist James Fonda (Neil) attempts to do what no other medical professional, or person, has done yet; make a connection with nine-year-old Ellie (Liles) who is under supervision lockdown awaiting euthanasia so that the science world can dissect her.
Ellie is highly intelligent, with a glaring superiority complex, but she immediately starts her psychological tug of war with Dr. Fonda as soon as he enters the room, trying to break him down before he has the chance to do the same to her.
Dr. Fonda starts to see past the massive walls that Ellie has built, emotionally, but he is up against the clock as the team in charge of Ellie wants to rid the world of the threat she poses, describing her as nothing more than a monster, and treating her as such.
The majority of the movie consists of Dr. Fonda and Ellie’ conversations in a heavily armored room, and a side story of Fonda’s battle with the people in charge.
Savannah Liles steals the show with her convincing performance and the movie, while void of any true scares or epic moments, is the kind of cerebral thriller that has a tedious build and requires dedication to see the story come full circle.