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Those questions are part of the central appeal of this movie. We begin wondering if Sam is disturbed mentally, if there are some serious things wrong. Eventually, I came to think "what if he's seeing his inner demons manifested for real in front of him?" That's a scary thought. We then wonder if maybe Amelia is getting caught in Sam's delusions, only to have that flipped on us. Is Sam not the one who's disturbed? Is Amelia falling apart? I even wondered at one point if Sam was not actually there, and was instead a manifestation of Amelia's inner emotions she'd been ignoring.

The movie is mostly a two-header with Essie Davis and young Noah Wiseman carrying the heavy lifting. And boy do they shine. Wiseman gives one of the most nuanced, frightening, and best performances from a child actor I've ever seen. In the really intense scenes (some of which feature nothing but mom and son driving in the car), Wiseman's work really got to me and made me worry for Sam intensely. Davis, as Amelia, gives one of the great performances I've seen from an actress. She's troubled, she's at the end of her rope, she is seriously struggling, can't sleep, and has a handful of a child to parent. This is an aspect that might've not hit me 10 years ago, but as a parent, I could relate to so much in Davis's work. As the movie goes along and really ramps up, had Davis hit a false note in any way, the delicate balance of the movie would've gotten lost. Instead, she keeps the movie on her shoulders beautifully. She really sells the ups, downs, and the uncertainty of her character. It's a beautifully layered and powerful performance.

Finally, I can't believe the incredible work done here by Jennifer Kent as a writer and director. In the writing, there's a deceptive depth to much of the movie that could be ignored if you weren't really thinking about it. There's nothing flashy in the language or characterizations, but everything is written just right. In the direction, Kent has surrounded herself with extraordinary work from Production Designer Alex Holmes, who sets up a truly extraordinary house for much of the action to take place in.

Cinematographer Radek Ladczuk also does wonderful work, again not flashy but often gorgeously playing with the light and shadows of this wonderful house. And Kent herself, in addition to surrounding herself with great talent, throws in nice filming touches (like Amelia falling while she sleeps) and most especially keeps the movie in check, not getting over indulgent and risking wearing out the movie's welcome or dissipating the tension she's built up as a storyteller. It will be interesting to see if she becomes a director worth following. The horror genre doesn't often give us master filmmakers, to be honest, but the filmmaking behind The Babadook is of such a high caliber that Kent may have bucked that trend. I hope so.

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