Emile Hirsch plays Austin, a medical technician who regularly assists his coroner father, Tommy (Brian Cox), with autopsies at the local morgue. Prior to the events of the film, we learn that Austin’s mother passed away. Something which Tommy refuses to dwell on, throwing himself into solving the mysteries of the cadavers that are laid before him. It’s for this reason alone that Austin appears to anchor himself to his hometown, whilst simultaneously cutting off his nose to spite his face. Austin wants to look after his father, and perhaps even help him address his issues, but in doing so, he’s stopping himself from spreading his wings and move to bigger and better things with his girlfriend, Emma (Ophelia Lovibond).
It’s whilst Austin is preparing for a date with Emma, that Tommy is visited by the local Sherriff (Michael McElhatton) who has a complicated body on his hands. Investigating the house of a gruesome homicide/suicide, the sheriff has found the body of a twenty something woman half buried in the basement. Aside from being completely devoid of clothes and life, there’s nothing unusual about the Jane Doe, which is what makes the Sheriff so suspicious. He entrusts the matter to Tommy, hoping that the veteran coroner will be able to shed some light on her cause of death.
And that’s when things start to unravel. With Emma and the Sheriff out of sight, the father and son duo are left to begin the autopsy of Jane Doe.
Read the rest of the review here.
John Noonan 