Institute History
Description
Stunning camerawork and startling sound design create an atmosphere of steely anxiety that permeates every frame of Trauma, the postmodern psychological chiller directed by Marc Evans.
In London, Ben (Colin Firth) awakes from a coma frightened and disoriented. When he learns he has been in a car crash that claimed the life of his wife, his world goes dark. Unable to make sense of the situation, he retreats into a delusional world where he can no longer distinguish between what is real and what is not. He seeks help from those in reach, including his old psychiatrist, a beautiful new neighbor (Mena Suvari), even a highly regarded medium (Brenda Fricker). Inevitably it is up to him to put his life back together and make sense of the altered existence he struggles to reenter. But something is not right in his world.
Evans enters this territory flanked by a crack team of artists. The writing is crisp and precise, and the cinematography is exquisite. The tone, sustained by the entire cast, creates the ideal conditions for dread to grow just under the surface. In Trauma, Evans expertly builds tension by slowly and deliberately stacking images, reshuffling them, and letting them fall where they will.