By

The Monster

Nobody believes in monsters

Pointy-toothed monsters are the last thing on the minds of a trailer-trash mother (Zoe Kazan) and her unhappy young daughter (Ella Ballentine) when, while driving through a dark and stormy night, they hit a wolf and crash. The highly dysfunctional little family calls for help, and then ponders what would frighten a wolf to the point that it would run into the path of a speeding car. They find out. What makes Brian Bertino’s straightforward but skillfully told creature feature so unique is that, despite the title, everything that transpires reaffirms the humanity of the flawed, well-developed characters. (91 min)