Trauma (2004 film)

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Trauma is a 2004 psychological thriller directed by Marc Evans and written by Richard Smith.

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
Editing by Mags Arnold
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures
Release date(s) 2004
Running time 94 min
Country UK
Language English
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Contents

[edit] Plot synopsis

Awaking from a coma to discover his wife has been killed in a car accident, Ben's (Colin Firth) world may as well have come to an end. A few weeks later, Ben's out of hospital and, attempting to start a new life, he moves home and is befriended by a beautiful young neighbour Charlotte (Mena Suvari). His life may be turning around but all is not what it seems and, haunted by visions of his dead wife, Ben starts to lose his grip on reality....

[edit] Cast

[edit] Critical Reaction

  • Most of the critical reviews of this film originate from the United Kingdom where the film was originally released.
  • 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]."
  • Reviews find the film "confusing" rather than "clever" [8]. "There's absolutely no logic or sense in Trauma" says filmcritic.com [6].
  • Pacing is another issue critics feel is damaging to the viewer's experience, becoming "very boring very quickly [1]" with "Evans imbuing... an incredibly slow pace [3]."
  • Actor 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 [9]" 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]."
Truma Alternate Poster Art
Truma Alternate Poster Art

[edit] Film Festivals

Listed Chronologically

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c "Trauma" Review, Tiscali
  2. ^ a b Rich Cline, "Trauma" Review, Shadows on the Wall
  3. ^ a b c David Nusair, "Trauma" Review, Reel Films Reviews
  4. ^ Jason Anderson, "Trauma" Review, Eye Weekly
  5. ^ a b "Trauma" Review, iofilm - film inside out
  6. ^ a b Christopher Null, "Trauma" Review, Filmcritic.com
  7. ^ Neil Young, "Trauma" Review, Film Loungue
  8. ^ Dragan, "Trauma" Review, Draxblog Movie Reviews
  9. ^ Scott Weinberg, "Trauma" Review, efilmcirtic.com

[edit] External links