The Little Girl Who Lives Down The Lane

This Canadian-made film, a star vehicle for the then 13-year-old Jodie Foster, is a disturbing, wonderfully acted, well-scripted, and suspenseful study of a murderous 13-year-old girl, Rynn (Foster). Living alone in her father's home, Rynn makes up stories that her father is away when in fact he is dead. She handles the bills, the upkeep, and her own survival, admirably putting into practice what her father taught her. When a snooping neighbor makes a nuisance of herself, Rynn knocks her down the stairs. Matter-of-factly, Rynn lets the cellar door close and gets back to her work. Soon the creepy Frank (Martin Sheen) is making a pest of himself, wanting both answers...