Una psicologa del crimine si sveglia un giorno come paziente nel posto in cui lavora, senza memoria riguardo all'omicidio del quale è stata accusata di aver commesso. Presto scopre di essere... Leggi tuttoUna psicologa del crimine si sveglia un giorno come paziente nel posto in cui lavora, senza memoria riguardo all'omicidio del quale è stata accusata di aver commesso. Presto scopre di essere manipolata da uno spirito vendicativo...Una psicologa del crimine si sveglia un giorno come paziente nel posto in cui lavora, senza memoria riguardo all'omicidio del quale è stata accusata di aver commesso. Presto scopre di essere manipolata da uno spirito vendicativo...
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Berry's character is a doctor in a mental institute. she wakes up to find herself an inmate in the very place she works. Her colleague and friend played by robert downy jnr tells her that she has committed a horrific crime and nobody knows why. so the plot begins to wind its way towards a shadowy truth. However, without giving anything away, the key scenes where important truths are revealed to the audience are simply too clumsy. information is just handed over visually on a plate and leaves little to the imagination. some of the tension built up in
the first half of the film is lost. and the truth isn't quite as gripping and terrifying as we would have hoped(although thats not to
say it is pleasant).
Robert Zemeckis was one of the producers and i think it shows..there is some great camera work and some really interesting ideas but gothika doesn't have some of the subtle touches that What Lies Beneath had, but its easy to see some of the parallels between the two films.
Even though halle berry wears the same look of shocked disbelief throughout the film, she plays it with conviction. and a supporting role from penelope cruz certainly doesn't take anything away from berry.
all in all, gothika provides a good story, an average screen play and enough innovative ideas to keep its audience. but i would have been disappointed if i had paid to watch it at the cinema.
What's more, Berry and Cruz signed onto a film made by a production team which has typecast itself with some fairly disappointing ghost stories / horror films involving big-names in the recent past.
Finally, this is one of those cases where the trailer was so good that the film could not possibly follow it.
So what?
If you approach this film without expectations, and with an open mind, you will be entertained. It's a tight, disturbing psychological/supernatural thriller which, though a little predictable at times, nevertheless offers some frightening imagery and a few good solid scares. That said, this is not a film for people who have trouble paying attention or for people who need straightforward answers. If you don't really pay attention to what is going on in this film, you could easily dismiss it as a more adult version of Sixth Sense or just another dumb ghost story. This film deserves more credit than that.
Personally, I don't think it's a ghost story at all- but that is a question best left open.
I have seen a number of films by this team - House on Haunted Hill, 13 Ghosts and Ghost Ship. Of these, I found 13 Ghosts and the House on Haunted Hill to be entertaining, but not very intelligent. Ghost Ship was tremendously disappointing - even Gabriel Byrne could not save that film. Gothika is easily the best of the lot, and also the darkest. The film is shot in dark blue, black and gray tones, and the use of lighting is nothing short of artistic. Despite the cliché title, the occasional plot clichés, and all the negative publicity generated by critics, I found this film to be surprisingly entertaining, intelligent, and disturbing.
Most of the 'plot holes' cited by some reviewers here on IMDb are more likely gaps in the attention spans of the viewers themselves or intentional ambiguities designed by the production team. This, unlike any of this team's previous work, does not provide unambiguous explanations.
Cruz and Berry are, respectively, patient and psychiatrist in a high security prison for the criminally insane. The Gothic environment of this facility is not meant to be realistic, but surreal, and the effect works. From the first time you see the place, you question its own reality. The film constantly manipulates mood through cinematographic techniques like this.
Shortly after the film opens, Berry finds herself experiencing what some of her allegedly delusional patients talk to her about. Robert Downey's portrayal of her friend and, now, therapist, is uneven, but satisfactory.
To describe the rest of the plot would require spoilers, so I won't bother. Suffice to say that even the occasional predictability of this film did not detract from my enjoyment of it.
The film uses just enough ambiguity to permit the audience to wonder whether what they are seeing is really happening or whether it is a product of our protagonist's subconscious mind. And then, in the end, the film makes you question whether it matters.
Halle Berry plays penitentiary psychiatrist Miranda Grey who winds up as an inmate herself after she inexplicably chops up her hubby with an axe. With no memory of the murder, Miranda begins to suspect that there is a supernatural reason for her brutal act.
Although the story evolves in a predictable Hollywood manner, the well developed atmosphere, stylish visuals, and some great supporting performances (the aforementioned Cruz, Robert Downey Jr. and Bernard Hill) all go to make this an enjoyable, if not exceptional, creepy murder mystery.
6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.
I think "Gothika" is a great thriller. The first half is scary by using great sound effects, beautiful shots and suspenseful plot. This is quite unlike many horror movies that relies on blood or shock to scare. The second half turns into a crime mystery, and I think the suspense is still well sustained. I did not see the plot twists coming, and hence I was surprised by the ending. Halle Barry's acting is great, she is convincing as a psychiatrist and even more convincing as a "crazy" person. Her facial expressions in the scene where she got possessed is great.
I enjoyed watching "Gothika" very much.
Lo sapevi?
- QuizRobert Downey Jr. broke Halle Berry's arm during the hospital interrogation scene. Downey was supposed to grab Berry's arm and twist, but twisted too hard and her arm snapped. Production was halted for eight weeks.
- BlooperWhen Miranda enters the shed, she is startled by an owl. It can be heard flying around. Owls fly silently.
- Citazioni
Miranda: Did we have an affair?
Pete: No.
Miranda: Did you want to?
Pete: Yes.
Miranda: Did you think I wanted to?
Pete: Yes.
Miranda: Then why didn't we?
Pete: Because you were married to the boss.
Miranda: But I'm not now.
Pete: I'm here - I'm trying to help you. Why don't you trust me?
Miranda: Because you can't trust somebody when they think you're crazy.
- Colonne sonoreReach Out I'll Be There
(uncredited)
Written by Lamont Dozier, Brian Holland and Eddie Holland (as Edward Holland Jr.)
Performed by The Four Tops
Courtesy of Motown Records
Under License from Universal Music Enterprises
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Dettagli
- Data di uscita
- Paese di origine
- Sito ufficiale
- Lingua
- Celebre anche come
- Espíritus ocultos: en compañía del miedo
- Luoghi delle riprese
- Aziende produttrici
- Vedi altri crediti dell’azienda su IMDbPro
Botteghino
- Budget
- 40.000.000 USD (previsto)
- Lordo Stati Uniti e Canada
- 59.694.580 USD
- Fine settimana di apertura Stati Uniti e Canada
- 19.288.438 USD
- 23 nov 2003
- Lordo in tutto il mondo
- 141.591.324 USD
- Tempo di esecuzione
- 1h 38min(98 min)
- Colore
- Mix di suoni
- Proporzioni
- 1.85 : 1