Il paziente

Like so many other movies, it sounds promising. There are moments when you feel it might actually be... good. Alas. It's not terrible. Just boring. I struggled to keep my eyes open more than with most "thrillers."

The acting is fair to middling. The plot twist was predictable. Perhaps I watch too many films but I guessed this twist long before I probably should have.

Do yourself a favor and watch "High Tension" instead. That one is simply brilliant and packs a serious punch. I bring this up because "Le patient" clearly was influenced or inspired by "High Tension." Sadly, it couldn't even come close.

This is an immersive film. You relate with Thomas as he tries to put the pieces together when he wakes up from coma. It's a slow burn but you don't mind because the story brings you somewhere and you want to be there when it ends even if it feels the story is going around in circles. And the ethereal musical score adds to the befuddlement.

This is a story that tackles how the brain creates or distorts reality specially when one undergoes trauma. In the case of Thomas, he has to figure out which events are real and which are augmented or constructed.

Txomin Vergez is credible as Thomas as he succeeds in portraying his situation. Rebecca Williams is equally convincing as Laura.

This is a thought-provoking film. It might be good for your mental health.

This is a fascinating but also very intricate film. Main character Thomas awakes in a hospital after having been 3 years in coma, ever since he was found severely wounded as the only surviver amidst his murdered family. Along with Thomas we try to find out what happened, why it happened, and who was responsible. The movie continuously provides tiny fragments, that are alternately short realistic flashbacks or Thomas's interpretations thereof, or they are the product of his imagination or delusions. We see a psychiatrist patiently trying to help him to get his memory back. Very gradually the harsh truth begins to dawn on him and on us, although I have to admit that for a long time I did't see the major plot twist and the ultimate conclusion coming.

The acting of especially Txomin Vergez is really excellent, the movie is slow paced but the tension never sags, and it kept me on the edge of my chair until the very end. It was a great relief that the story came up in the end with the needed answers (in nowadays cinema there's a pretentious tendency to keep you dangling in some sort of limbo at the end of a mystery movie!), but there were still some things that eluded me: why was the psychiatrist walking with a crutch? What was the function of fellow patient Bastien? They seemed to be both victims of an accident, so maybe that was it?

Anyway: an impressive and intriguing, well acted movie that stayed in my head for a long time.

As this French drama opens a family is found massacred in their home. Three years later nineteen year old survivor Thomas awakes from a coma. The psychologist caring for him tells him that he is the sole survivor and that his sister hasn't been seen since those events. She encourages him to try to remember just what happened while he is also undergoing physiotherapy. Gradually he, and we, learn just what happened that day.

I thought this was a decent drama. It is fairly slow burn and doesn't provide as many surprises as I suspects its makers think. I'm sure most viewers will have suspected how it will end long before the 'big reveal'. That said it managed to keep me interested throughout. The cast is solid, especially Txomin Vergez, who plays Thomas. There is a good atmosphere with limited settings giving it an almost theatrical feel at times. Overall a solid enough film; not a must see but worth a watch if you are a fan of French films.

These comments are based on watching the film in French with English subtitles.

The Lost Patient is an incorrect translation. The film is called The Patient in French. This is a French language and French film. Normally I am skeptical of cohesion in French films - but this one had me on my toes from the get go. The writers and the director are firing on all cylinders.

Thomas is the central character. He is the only living witness to a gruesome mass murder of his family. He barely survived himself.

Flash forward three years and Thomas is coming out of a coma. But something isn't right about him. He is seeing a psychiatrist and physical therapist but something is off.

The story is told via therapy sessions and flashbacks that Thomas has.

It's gripping stuff and as someone who knows from having lived through similar, this is a very realistic and well done thriller.

The ending is worth the wait.