Thestoryappearssimpleonthesurface,butisrevealed,especiallyaftermultipleviewings,asmoremulti-layeredandtexturedthanCassavetesathisbest.Ostensiblyitconcernsa14-yearoldCatholicgirl,Wynne(Agutter)growingupinthispost-modernwasteland,whodevelopsacrushonhermucholderadoptivebrother(Marshall)-acrushwhichperverselydeepensandgrowsintoinfatuationonceshestartstobelieveheisthelocalsexkiller.Thisisinitselfanideathatmakesyousitupandjolt,butasthenarrativedevelops,itcontinuesnotnecessarilyalongalinearpathbutinseveralconfusingandfascinatingdirections:thefamily'shistory,(detailedeffectivelyinchillingflashbackduringanimprovisedseance)isachequeredone,andhassufferedatleastonemajorrelocationandupheavalinthelasttenyears. Atthecrux,however,it'sthedepictionofsocialalchangesthatmakeIStartCountingsofascinatingandelevateitslanguagefarbeyondtheconfinesofthestandardhorrorfilm.Themajorsubtext-thatteenagegirlswerematuringmorequicklythanbefore,anddevelopingfullsexualandromanticappetites(evenifinthoughtratherthandeed)butwerenotpossessedofenoughdiscretiontomaketherightchoices-wasastepforwardforagenreinwhichitsyoungfemaleshadpreviouslybeenportrayedasbimbovictims(CoverGirlKillerandTheNightCallerspringtomind),butnotonethatallviewerswouldnecessarilyagreewith. Butmoststrikingofall,andpossiblythemostenduringimagewhichtheviewerwilltakeawaywiththem,isofthemasterfulsymbolismwithwhichdirectorGreeneinvestseveryshot.EveryinchoftheKinchfamily'sworld-theirhouse,theirwalls,theirTV,Aguttersunderwear,bedroomfurnitureandtoys,Sutcliffe'sclothes,Marshallsvan,thelocalCatholicchurch,theirtowncentre,theirrecordshop)-ispaintedabright,scintillatingwhite-awhitewhich,byinference,isslowlybecomingsmudgedandcorruptedwiththedirtoftheoutsideworld.Whitealsosymbolises,ofcourse,purityandinnocence(twoqualitiesCatholicschoolgirlsaresupposedtoholddear),anditisintothisworldofinnocencethattheever-presentredbus(asymbolofviolationandpenetration),conductedbythelecherousyetsimilarlyjuvenileSimonWard,makesregularjourneys.TheallegoryisfurtherexpandedinonescenewhereAgutterbelievessheseestheChristfigureinchurchweepingblood:bythetimeweacknowledgeit,itsgone,buttheseedhasalreadybeenplanted.Rarelyinagenreproductionhastheuseofcolourandbackgroundbeensoimportantoreffectiveincreatingauniformityofmood. IStartCountingisasnear-perfectanendtoadecadeasonecouldhopefor,andexactlythekindoffilmpeopleshouldbemakingnow-whichis,ofcourse,exactlywhytheyneverwill.Agenreessential. byD.R.SHIMON@lounge.moviecodec.com