XX

Hell hath no fury? Best believe it, as proved by this pulse-pounding portmanteau of shock stories about--and written and directed by--women. A mother tries to comprehend the force driving her family to starve themselves in Jovanka Vuckovic’s "The Box"; a hausfrau tries to hide her husband’s corpse rather than wreck her daughter’s celebration in Annie (St. Vincent) Clark’s "The Birthday Party"; hikers are stalked by a supernatural force in Roxanne Benjamin’s "Don’t Fall"; and a single mom has to confront the truth of her violent kid’s parentage in Karyn Kusama’s "Her Only Living Son." Natalie Brown, Melanie Lynskey, Breeda Wool, Christina Kirk star. 80 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English.