This film is shot primarily upon St. George's Island, a resort site along Northern Florida's Gulf Coast, that becomes the transposed location from France in the original novel, of which only a basic outline has been retained. John Hurt portrays Robert Burger, a middle-aged bank employee who has embezzled over one million dollars and, along with his co-conspirator and girl friend Dorothea (Karen Young) is on the lam from Texas, and from his wife, with an idea of relaxing a bit on the island before continuing their flight. Unprovidentially for the renegade pair, they cross paths with two nine-year-old girls, one of whom, Thelma (Cassie Barasch), bristles with curiosity about the newcomers. Thelma is addicted to television and to the violent action she finds available there, and when she and her young friend Elizabeth (Ellie Raab) burglarize the cottage of the fugitives, Thelma steals Robert's revolver, whereupon her imagination becomes hazardous to all about her. Director Anthony Summers creates the script, and wherever a change is made from the plot of the admittedly third-rate novel, credibility goes begging, particularly when homage is being made to Kubrick's LOLITA in referential scenes not difficult to identify. His direction is weak, a source for those frequently occurring scenes when players are left upon their own, with Hurt improvising as always; yet, Guy Boyd as a sheriff is smooth and consistent as silk, easily regulating scenes in which he appears. A minimalist score, composed and performed by guitarist Laurence Juban, matches an obviously minimal budget, with Juban's suspended chords, particularly in the case of the main theme: "Oyster Blues", conjugating nicely with the palmetto plaited scenery. Cinematographer John Hooper's closeups help define this flawed but interesting piece, and he emphasizes the omnipresent gloss from the sun, making this perhaps a first example of a genre: Incandescent Noir.
