Directed by:
Mathieu KassovitzScreenplay:
Sebastian GutierrezCinematography:
Matthew LibatiqueComposer:
John OttmanCast:
Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr., Charles S. Dutton, John Carroll Lynch, Bernard Hill, Penélope Cruz, Dorian Harewood, Noah Bernett, Amy Sloan, Benz Antoine (more)VOD (2)
Plots(1)
Dr Miranda Grey (Halle Berry) a dedicated and successful criminal psychologist wakes to find herself a patient in her own mental institution with no memory of the murder she's apparently committed. She soon learns that her husband was brutally murdered three days earlier and the bloody evidence points directly at her. With no memory of that night except for a cryptic encounter with a mysterious young girl the doctor's behaviour becomes increasingly erratic. Her claims of innocence are seen by her friends, colleagues and former patients as the beginnings of a deep descent into madness. As Miranda struggles to reclaim her sanity she discovers she's become the pawn of a vengeful spirit. (Shock Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (6)
Kassovitz is certainly a talented filmmaker and he handled Gothika with great clarity and grace, but as is customary in ghost films, the precisely built atmosphere of most of the plot is completely walled off by a routine and far-fetched finale. As long as the unknown is conducted to the protagonist in terrifying visions, hints and excellently filmed "creeps", the atmosphere of Gothika is dense, electrifying and dark. As long as the interesting-looking plot, in which the subjective narrative of psychologist Miranda and the voice of an objective narrator are vaguely permeated, holds mysterious notes, everything is in perfect order. The viewer doubts where the truth is and teeters on the edge of doubt as to whether she is in fact crazy. Unfortunately, the ending offers a conventional bloody finale in which all mysticism disappears into thriller naturalism. It's hard to say whether there's more to be done with commercial ghost films than The Sixth Sense demonstrated, but Gothika is an example of a film that looks promising for 2/3 of the runtime to end up being a better Hollywood loop. It’s too bad. But thanks to the directing, camera, editing, music, Halle Berry and the rising atmosphere, it's worth seeing... Quite similar course and result to Zemeckis's thriller What Lies Beneath. The potential used is only 70%.
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Gothika isn't boring, it's just relentlessly stupid in almost every way. The script in particular is enormously dull. From about a third of the way through, everything is clear and we watch the slow, poorly acted progression of the protagonist towards the "shocking" twist.
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Gothika is a highly polarizing film, with a subpar script full of illogical constructs on one side and solid casting and excellent direction on the other. It depends on whether you want to think about the how and why... or surrender to the atmosphere and enjoy the ride. If you choose the former, deduct 15-20% from my rating. I chose the latter and came out with a 70% overall impression. For Halle Berry, it's a rewarding role that she handled with honor - definitely above average for her - and Penélope Cruz performs her usual standard, which means she did well. There were several scenes that startled me or gave me a feeling of unease, and what more can you ask for in a horror film? Gothika will never belong to the top of the genre, but it's a film worth watching once.
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Mathieu Kassovitz's direction is very solid and dynamic, the cinematography and editing are ok, and there are a lot of directorial ideas, but what is utterly mishandled is the content.
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If Gothika didn't have such flaws in its logic and if Halle Berry wasn't so annoying at times, it would be an extremely good horror, because there are scenes here that are truly terrifying. Unfortunately, some of them are completely gratuitous, without being truly explainable and firmly integrated into the plot. I wonder if John Carroll Lynch's wife slept in the same room with him after watching the movie. Or in the same house.
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