| MOVIE
BIASES: Usually not my cup of tea, but Halle sure is.
MAJOR PLAYERS: Halle Berry (Monster’s Ball), Robert
Downey Jr. (U.S. Marshals), Penelope Cruz (Vanilla Sky),
and director Mathieu Kassovitz (actor, Amelie)
Hate is a strong word. So I won’t say that I “hate”
scary movies, but I do think they are, by and large, pretty
dumb. Usually, they don’t scare anybody and their
plot holes are as wide as the Grand Canyon. These were my
low expectations for Halle Berry’s scary movie/psycho-thriller
“Gothika,” with my minimal hopes for entertainment
resting on another potential Halle nudie scene (didn’t
happen; sorry, guys). But something happened on the way
to scary movie dismissal—this movie got good. No,
it got GREAT.
Dr. Miranda Grey (Berry) is your average well-liked, well-known,
and well-respected psychiatrist at a Connecticut mental
institute run by her husband Doug (Charles S. Dutton). All
that is flipped on its ear one dark, stormy night when Miranda’s
encounter with a scarred, half-dressed blonde girl in the
middle of the road causes her to blackout, waking up three
days later in the very mental institute at which she used
to practice. Charged with a murder but with almost no recollection
of committing the crime, Miranda struggles to learn the
truth of what happened to her that night, why she keeps
seeing the same sad-faced blonde everywhere, and if she
truly is crazy.
If you can suspend your disbelief, you will love Halle in
“Gothika.” Sure, no doctor would ever be put
at the same mental institute at which they practiced, but
that’s beside the point. Halle fully commits to the
role (to the point where she fractured her wrist on set),
immersing herself in a heartwrenching performance that will
reach you if you have ever been falsely accused of something.
Penelope Cruz’s gloomily charismatic Chloe, a former
patient of Grey’s and now, perhaps, Miranda’s
only ally inside, highlights her struggle, accenting the
futility of those deemed criminally insane (“The more
you try to prove you’re not, the crazier you seem.”).
It’s almost as if these two beautiful women got on
the phone one day and decided to star in a movie together
for the specific purpose of playing against their looks.
Sorry, ladies, it didn’t work; even with a ton of
drab makeup, they both are still bona fide REEL DEAL Crushes.
Robert Downey Jr. pretty much mails in a second banana role
not worthy of his considerable talents and it’s good
to see “Roc” (Dutton) getting work again.
But the star of this movie is French director Mathieu Kassovitz.
In his first English language studio film, Kassovitz assuredly
steers a stylishly moody piece that captivates while it
creeps (you out). Thanks to cinematographer Matthew Libatique
(Abandon), Kassovitz has filmed the darkest movie since
“Dark City,” where even daylight seems to be
pouting. Lighting is a centerpiece of the movie as the institute’s
electricity is always on the fritz, with lights flickering
eerily and conveniently at times designed to ratchet up
the suspense. Kassovitz also uses the flickering light to
symbolize the flickering loyalties of those steeped in science
and reason trying to reconcile matters of faith and the
paranormal. The people around Miranda also dither with their
faith in her, even to the point where her own dad doesn’t
believe her.
But Kassovitz doesn’t stop there. Piling on dramatic
whip pans and circling shots, freaky breathing sound effects,
and an unsettling yet standard scary movie musical score,
Kassovitz had me by my guts and my breath, holding both
hostage and daring me to look away. With just the themes
of the doctor being doctored and the invisibility of the
insane (“You can’t trust someone who thinks
you’re crazy.”), I wouldn’t dare. I may
never watch this movie again (too freaky) but it forever
redefined the potential of horror-thrillers for me. Now
that’s scary.
@@@@ REELS
(FOUR REELS)
An urban legend/instant classic.
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