This movie, for me, was a series of unexpected letdowns portrayed in a very realistic manner. I felt the beginning had a lot of promise in terms of your standard Hollywood flick, but this wasn't- It made the movie very slow, and kept the viewer uncomfortable and anxious and frustrated. But it wasn't inherent flaws in the movie, it was the setting and the plot and the characters. Creating that in a movie takes a lot of talent.
I felt that it was difficult to watch and also very enriching to do so. It goes up there with my list of "Watch-it-once" flicks, because it was so well pulled off.
It'll be painful to sit through the entire thing, but it's worth it. Totally.
Another thing- a lot of people seem to dislike Ruthie. I suppose everyone identifies with different characters for different reasons. She made sense to me. I understood and empathized with her more than anyone else in the film.