Trauma | |
---|---|
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 | Myriad Pictures First Choice Films BBC Films Grosvenor Park Isle of Man Film Little Bird Productions |
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.
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.
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]
Listed Chronologically
Colin Andrew Firth is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the "Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a series of challenging roles, including leading roles in A Month in the Country (1987), Tumbledown (1988) and Valmont (1989). His portrayal of Mr. Darcy in the 1995 television adaptation of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice led to widespread attention, and to roles in more prominent films such as The English Patient (1996), Shakespeare in Love (1998), The Importance of Being Earnest (2002), Girl with a Pearl Earring (2003), and Love Actually (2003), co-starring as Mark Darcy in the romantic comedy films Bridget Jones's Diary (2001), Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004), and Bridget Jones's Baby (2016), and Harry Bright in the musical comedy films Mamma Mia! (2008) and Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again! (2018).
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Marc Evans is a Welsh director of film and television, whose credits include the films House of America, Resurrection Man and My Little Eye.
Richard Smith is a British screenwriter and film director. He wrote Trauma, starring Colin Firth and Mena Suvari, and multi-award-winning half-hour film, Leonard.
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