2004 British film by Marc Evans
Trauma is a 2004 British psychological thriller film directed by Marc Evans and written by Richard Smith.
Plot
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.
Critical reaction
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
Listed Chronologically
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