| Fragile | |
|---|---|
Theatrical poster |
|
| Directed by | Jaume Balagueró |
| Produced by | Julio Fernández Joan Ginard |
| Written by | Jaume Balagueró Jordi Galcerán |
| Starring | Calista Flockhart Elena Anaya Yasmin Murphy Richard Roxburgh Colin McFarlane |
| Music by | Roque Baños |
| Cinematography | Xavi Gimenez |
| Editing by | Jaume Marti |
| Release date(s) | October 14, 2005 (Spain) |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Country | Spain United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Fragile (Spanish: Frágiles) is a 2005 Spanish horror film directed by Jaume Balagueró.
Contents |
The film begins in Mercy Falls, a children's hospital which is no longer going to be in use. Only eight patients remain, waiting to be transferred. One of the patients, Maggie, whom we later learn is an orphan suffering from cystic fibrosis, tells the night nurse, Susan, that she has seen "her" again. An annoyed Susan tells Maggie to return to bed. Just then, Simon, another patient, shrieks in pain as his leg is broken. Susan and Dr. Robert cannot find a reason for this, though, since the child was found lying in bed. Just as a second x-ray of the leg is being taken, Simon's leg is broken again. Susan quits the job, frightened by all she has seen.
Amy Nicholls, an American nurse, arrives at the hospital to replace Susan. Amy learns that the elevator no longer goes up to the second floor, a ward that has not been used since 1959. Her colleague Helen Perez introduces her to the eight children. Maggie tells her about a ghost who haunts the hospital named Charlotte, whom she calls "the mechanical girl", and communicates through some toy blocks. Strange things occur throughout Amy's first night at Mercy Falls, but she tries to remain calm, and asks Roy, the caretaker, about Charlotte. Roy mentions that other children throughout the years have mentioned the ghost as well.
The next day, Amy and young Simon get stuck in the elevator, which takes them up to the second floor. After a bit of a struggle, Roy manages to help them out. A startled Amy begins to ask more questions about the second floor. She mentions it to Mrs. Folder, the hospital's director, but is told to forget about it. Amy decides to ask Maggie about Charlotte again. Strange things continue happening throughout the night, and Amy decides to dig deeper into this mystery.
Amy visits Susan's home to ask her if she knew anything, but learns from a priest at the house that Susan had died the day before in a car accident. The priest mentions that he'd noticed something troubling Susan and that she'd sought help from two women. Amy visits them and learns more about the afterlife. The women tell her that ghosts stay close to what they love and that the living world and the afterlife are separate. They tell her only those close to death can glimpse ghosts. They believe there is an evil presence in the hospital and warn Amy.
Back at Mercy Falls, the children watch Sleeping Beauty, and Amy tells Helen and Mrs. Folder about Susan's death. After the movie, Amy and Maggie talk about love and kisses. Amy asks Roy to show her the files of the other children who'd mentioned Charlotte. Later that day, when Roy tries to pack the dice (the ones Maggie uses to communicate with Charlotte,) he is attacked by something and is killed. Amy decides to go up to the second floor. There, she finds an old photograph which shows a girl in a wheelchair posing with a nurse, and a filmreel which shows this girl at a medical treatment of osteogenesis imperfecta. On the back of the photograph is written "Charlotte and Mandy, 1959." Amy is startled when she thinks she sees the mechanical girl and rushes out of the second floor. Using Roy's projector, she and Dr. Robert view the film. Robert tells her the disease Charlotte suffered from was very painful, a sickness that causes the patient's bones to be very, very susceptible to fractures. The treatment for it (back in 1959) was primitive and barbaric. Doctors had built a metal frame for Charlotte to wear, a mechanical frame that was connected to tubes implanted throughout the child's body. Amy now believes Charlotte is the angry and uncontrollable ghost of the little girl. She warns Helen and Robert to get the children ready to leave and goes to find help.
She finds Mrs. Folder, who calls for help and drives Amy back to the hospital. Folder tells her that she is wrong - Charlotte wasn't the name of the little girl in the photo, but the name of the nurse. The nurse had become obsessed with Mandy, the osteogenesis sufferer. She'd begun to purposely break the girl's bones and eventually murdered the child. She then put on the child's frame and jumped into the elevator shaft, killing herself. Amy realizes that what Charlotte wants is the children, that is why she still remains in the hospital. Amy knows the ghost will not let the children leave without hurting them. She arrives at the hospital, which is now falling apart because of Charlotte's rage, and, with the help of the rest of the adults, keeps the children inside, preventing Charlotte from becoming angrier. As help arrives, Amy realizes that everything is suddenly calm, and Mrs. Folder says that Maggie is missing. Amy goes up to the second floor to save Maggie from Charlotte and gets badly hurt in the process. The two make it back down to the first floor, but Maggie dies in Amy's arms soon after. Amy tells Robert that she's meant to die too, since she saw the ghost. Amy is saved at the last minute, though, after receiving a love kiss from Maggie's ghost. The movie ends with Amy in a different, significantly less haunted hospital and an elderly man seeing Maggie's ghost sitting by her side.
It was filmed between Barcelona, Spain and the Isle of Wight, England.
The Sleeping Beauty animation short seen on the projector was created specifically for this movie. [1]
The film premiered on 2 September 2005 as part of the Venice Film Festival and was released in a theatrical release in Spain on 14 October 2005.[2] The movie has had several release dates around the world since its original release in October 2005.[3] Lightning Media released the film in July 2010 via DVD, Video on Demand and Digital Download.[4] Fragile is also part of the Fangoria FrightFest 2010 on 21 June 2010.[5]