Trauma (2004 film)
| Trauma | |
|---|---|
 Spanish theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Marc Evans |
| Written by | Richard Smith |
| Produced by | Nicky Kentish Barnes Jonathan Cavendish |
| Starring | Colin Firth Mena Suvari Naomie Harris Sean Harris Neil Edmond |
| Cinematography | John Mathieson Nic Sadler |
| Edited by | Mags Arnold |
| Music by | Alex Heffes |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures Filmax International |
Release date |
|
Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Trauma is a 2004 British psychological thriller film directed by Marc Evans and written by Richard Smith.
Plot
[edit]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
[edit]- 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
- Jo Maxwell-Muller as Grief-stricken Woman
Critical reaction
[edit]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
[edit]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
[edit]- ^ a b "Trauma" Review Archived 15 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine, Tiscali
- ^ a b Rich Cline, "Trauma" Review, Shadows on the Wall
- ^ a b David Nusair, "Trauma" Review, Reel Films Reviews
- ^ Jason Anderson, "Trauma" Review Archived 18 September 2004 at the Wayback Machine, Eye Weekly
- ^ a b "Trauma" Review Archived 25 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine, iofilm - film inside out
- ^ Christopher Null, "Trauma" Review Archived 27 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine, Filmcritic.com
- ^ Neil Young, "Trauma" Review, Film Loungue
- ^ Scott Weinberg, "Trauma" Review, efilmcirtic.com