4.5 / 5 Aug '09Tagline: A motion picture of the extra senses.
Directed by: Robert Altman
Written by: Robert Altman, Susannah York
Actors include: Susannah York, Rene Auberjonois, Marcel Bozzuffi
Genre: Horror, Drama
Length: 101 minutes
Banned: Nope
Country: UK/Ireland/USA
Review:
What a startling portrayal of schizophrenia, I mean I don't know very much about this disease but I feel like this film accurately demonstrates the horrible feelings it must cause. We are watching pretty much from the viewpoint of Cathryn (who is the schizophrenic) who is continually hallucinating...or is she? As the viewer we are rarely sure what is going on but there are little hints and clues along the way about who is real and who isn't (or at least I think I know). She has quite a strange relationship with her Husband but considering how unsure she is of everything it's not too surprising. When he brings home an old family friend things get so incredibly terrifying for Cathryn that she decides the problems she is having can be fixed by killing off the vision. Only thing is, is she actually killing people...or were they ever there to begin with? The backdrop in this film is simply stunning, it's one of the most beautiful landscapes I've ever seen (I think it was shot in Ireland), the cinematography is every bit as wonderful too. Susannah York's acting is divine, in fact she won best actress at Cannes and deservedly so, it truly feels so real and surreal at the same time. The music and sound effects are so jarring and perfectly demonstrate the uneasy feeling she must have while going through her life, in fact John Williams was nominated for an Oscar for this. This kept me on the edge of my seat, often shaking my head but when all was said and done I really felt like I'd seen one heck of a powerful movie.
Availability: On DVD
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