Lucid

Lucid is a very good supernatural thriller that had me entertained throughout its running time. Usually when I go to a Canadian film it is with a certain apprehension; I think I'm going to be bored to death by some witless story that was made as a tax dodge. Sean Garrity with his second film is roughly where Atom Egoyan was when he made Exotica: just on the cusp of world recognition. The story is very funny at first--you have the nuttiest trio of confused minds in therapy, and their therapist, Joel, who has many problems himself. The tone gets darker and more violent as the story advances.

Jonas Chernick as Joel and Michelle Nolden as Chandra are very good, Joel trying to help Chandra with her fixation on her dead sister. Callum Keith Rennie does a terrific turn as Victor, a man full of psychic pain and violence--we first see him throwing a chair against the wall and demanding that his release form be signed. Rennie has an expressive acting style that allows him to be funny, sinister and very dangerous all in the same scene. This is a film that deserves wide distribution outside Canada.

It's been a very long time since I saw a movie that kept my attention and embraced me the way Lucid did on opening night in Winnipeg.

Even though I'm not one to keep up on popular culture, I had the good fortune to hear Garrety on the radio pleading with the local community to go out and support Lucid on opening weekend. The concept sounded intriguing and I'm all for encouraging local film industry.

While I'm not an informed critic and can't comment on whether or not it "looked Canadian," or had good lighting, I can tell you that people should see this movie. It's hard to provide a review without giving away any major elements but in my own opinion the movie isn't about what the promoters say it is ... it's much more.

Not since Memento and Fight Club has a movie held my attention and required so much attention to detail. When the movie finally unfolded I had to catch my breath. You know a good movie when it leaves you asking questions about yourself and the world around you.

Brianna Williams, who played Jenny, was like the spokes of a wheel, with Joel in the middle and his therapy group going around and around in circles. She kept everyone connected and her character was understated and well-presented. The guy who played Victor was very intriguing.

Sad, funny, clever and endearing. What good fortune to have been listening to the radio on a Thursday morning before opening night.

Go see the movie!

Just like the main character's circumstances are a mixture of contrasts, so is the movie: it has unmistakable indy roots & feel, yet the way it's made is very professional. It could easily pass as a Hollywood production to someone watching it on FastForward. It also has a rather large range of moods, ranging from funny, to violent, to delicate, and even to depressing. But although the main character is a shrink (or a shrink wannabe), and you'll get to learn more about post-traumatic stress disorder than you would in a full-year psych course, the director manages to stir it into entertaining territory with ease.

I watched it in a late night sneak preview at University of Toronto, and I was lucky to have a Q&A with the director, who answered most of my questions even before I asked them (he's a psychic more than he is a psycho). Apparently, he found inspiration in his very own Yoko Ono, who's also a psych major :)

I'd like to begin this review with a warning - before watching this movie please take care not to watch any of the special features on the DVD version nor read too many reviews since several (including some of those on this site) give away important plot points that will utterly spoil any viewing for you! With this in mind I won't attempt to discuss the film's plot in great detail. There are plenty of twists and turns and the story stays gratifyingly away from clichés. All four lead actors (Jonas Chernick, Callum Keith Rennie, Michelle Nolden and Lindy Booth) put in terrific and powerful performances. (No surprise with Rennie who is most certainly one of the finest actors currently working in cinema & television although largely unsung in the US and the UK) All four characters are absolutely believable and all are multi- layered. The three latter actors (playing the former's patients) manage to convey their characters' balance of vulnerability with manipulation and make the viewer sympathetic to their individual plights whilst being appropriately discomforting to watch at times. There are some clever cinematic devices used (of which you will become more aware once you have watched the film in its entirety and studied the extra features on the DVD) but these are done cleverly and subtly and not at all self-indulgently. This is a fabulous, intelligent film and it will leave you thinking. And you'll probably be debating it for a time to come. You'll certainly find it isn't the film you thought you were watching at the outset!