Knowing

This film seems to be a supernatural thriller (crazed child, spooky characters in the shadows), but at the end
becomes a different type of film. That undercuts the fulfillment of the story. For the plot to work, who those
spooky characters in the background are is withheld until the climax. It's difficult to create drama in this
kind of situation, because the main character is mostly reacting to events and trying to solve
a puzzle. The film does develop an issue of the main character reconciling with his family, but that, too, takes a distant second to the plot.

Last Night, a Canadian film, did a much better job of
developing drama around the end of the world and how a family faces that.

Star Trek

Sunshine Cleaning

Two sisters have lived in an emotional limbo since the suicide of their mother. When the older
sister gets into the business of bio-hazard clean up (often dealing with cleaning up after
suicides) the sisters connect to their own grief through dealing with the grief of others.

I've seen this movie compared to Little Miss Sunshine. Cleaning is not a comedy, and there's
almost no attempt at humor. The movie does get across the pathos of being among the working poor.