Trauma (2004 film)
Trauma | |
---|---|
Believe what you see what you believe | |
Directed by | Marc Evans |
Produced by |
Nicky Kentish Barnes Jonathan Cavendish |
Written by | Richard Smith |
Starring |
Colin Firth Mena Suvari Naomie Harris Sean Harris Neil Edmond |
Music by | Alex Heffes |
Cinematography |
John Mathieson Nic Sadler |
Edited by | Mags Arnold |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Trauma is a 2004 British psychological thriller directed by Marc Evans and written by Richard Smith.
Plot
Ben (Colin Firth) awakens from a coma to discover his wife has been killed in a car accident. A few weeks later, Ben is out of the hospital and, attempting to start a new life, he moves home and is befriended by a beautiful young neighbour Charlotte (Mena Suvari). Haunted by visions of his dead wife, Ben starts to lose his grip on reality.
Cast
- Colin Firth as Ben
- Mena Suvari as Charlotte
- Naomie Harris as Elisa
- Sean Harris as Roland
- Neil Edmond as Mills
- Tommy Flanagan as Tommy
- Kenneth Cranham as Detective Constable Jackson
- Brenda Fricker as Petra
Critical reaction
The film is described by critics as a psychological thriller in the same vein as David Cronenberg,[1] Memento,[2] and Jacob's Ladder;[3] however, most find that the film pales in comparison, with Eye Weekly calling it "just another pretentious Jacob's Ladder knockoff.[4]" The film has been described as stylish, with iofilm calling it "a triumph of style over content.[5]" Shadows on the Wall adds, "Evans fills the screen with... moody, atmospheric, and evocative visuals,[2]" and Filmcritic.com says the film has "The Ring-inspired creepy imagery.[6]"
Neil Young's Film Lounge describes the film's visual in this way: "Evans (along with cinematographer John Mathieson, production-designer Richard Smith and editor Mags Arnold) tries desperately to jazz everything up, deploying all manner of distorted visuals - extreme camera angles and close-ups, plus over-atmospheric lighting effects and jagged cuts - in a strenuous attempt to get us into Ben's tormented state-of-mind.[7]"
Colin Firth's performance is the most praised aspect of the film. "He delivers a performance which highlights the range of his considerable talent[1]" cites one critic. eFilmCritic says Firth "does the best with what he's given[8]" and iofilm says, "Firth puts in a sterling performance in the central role.[5]" Reel Film Reviews adds "Firth's performance, not surprisingly, is the best thing about the movie, and the actor does a nice job of portraying Ben's increasing paranoia.[3]"
Film festivals
Listed Chronologically
- Sundance Film Festival
- Cannes Film Market
- Edinburgh Film Festival
- Toronto International Film Festival
- Lund Fantastisk Film Festival
- Athens Film Festival
- Gérardmer Fantasticarts Film Festival
- Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Films
- München Fantasy Filmfest
References
- 1 2 "Trauma" Review, Tiscali
- 1 2 Rich Cline, "Trauma" Review, Shadows on the Wall
- 1 2 David Nusair, "Trauma" Review, Reel Films Reviews
- ↑ Jason Anderson, "Trauma" Review, Eye Weekly
- 1 2 "Trauma" Review, iofilm - film inside out
- ↑ Christopher Null, "Trauma" Review, Filmcritic.com
- ↑ Neil Young, "Trauma" Review, Film Loungue
- ↑ Scott Weinberg, "Trauma" Review, efilmcirtic.com
External links
- Trauma Official Site
- Trauma at the Internet Movie Database
- Trauma at AllMovie
- Trauma at Rotten Tomatoes