Leave

Just as a sign of how much this film moved me, this is my first review on IMDb after 3 years of not having much to add or say about countless other movies.

As other reviewers have written, it's tough to talk about "Leave" without spoiling it.

The best I can do is recommend you read the synopsis, perhaps watch the trailer and make up your own mind. Don't fall for the abysmal ratings on IMDb. You can leave and dismiss it as I almost did or stay and be surprised. Do what you want.

You have a choice. One minute into the film and I wasn't sure if this was for me. I chose to let go and enjoy the trip. Turns out this was just what I needed.

I'd describe it as a slow paced psychological thriller. It's a short movie and it's perfect as it is.

I can say I've watched this twice in a row and I'm still thinking about it. I cannot recommend this enough.

With a 5.1 I was not expecting too much. You imagine how shocked I was to see I movie I would give a nine rating. The more I thought about it the more I realized it was the dark nature of the subject matter. Many people don't like movies about real life, choosing escape instead. Or they prefer an assault on the senses. I know my wife would hate the movie, but then she watches "dance moms". No it doesn't have a lot of action or thrills but it caught me totally off guard and left me with some dark thoughts. I won't even begin to describe the movie. I couldn't without giving it away. You know what kind of person you are, and don't pay any attention to the rating number. I think it's a gem.

I am 61 years old, rented this movie, hoping it wasn't a "yawner." Well, I was not disappointed. I loved every minute of it. But don't leave the room to get some popcorn or coke without putting it on "pause." You will miss something important. The acting was great and the plot kept me guessing throughout the entire movie. I went from happy to sad to happy to sad to scared for the main character to happy for the main character. I want my sister to watch this movie and my daughter and my sons and my grandchildren. So few movies have such substance. I loved some of the lines from the movie but won't do any spoilers here. Just watch it!

Henry Harper (Rick Gomez) is a successful novelist who has it all. But after surviving a recent trauma he finds himself haunted by a dream that terrifies him. Convinced that the only way to understand what the dream means is to write his way through it, Henry decides to go to a remote second home to begin work on his next novel, a thriller.

I feel like this film has a lot of potential but never really took off. My interest was not held for much of the (short) duration and that is no compliment. The diner scene is tense and well-acted by everyone, and the "big reveal" there plays out nicely.

I would have to see this film again to really give it a fair shake, but I have to say that is not a venture I am looking forward to taking any time soon.

I think some people have been put off by narrow expectations.. Which I can understand and sympathise with to some extent. The beginning certainly gave the impression of something sinister afoot, and the mystery became alluring as the movie went on. But there is a point where he mentions something significant just after the half way mark, and it became clear to me that this was about something entirely different than what I was expecting.

Thankfully, for me at least, that didn't kill my interest. But it did lose momentum thereafter, and became more predictable. I would say that this is a commendable approach to a difficult subject. But there are better movies out there that deliver a similar treatment. If this was the first movie I had seen on the subject, I would definitely be giving it a higher mark.