STAY
A 20th Century Fox release
Story - $8.75
Acting - $9.75
Directing - $10.75
Production Design - $10.75
Special Effects - $10.75
Score/Music - $10.75
*"REEL" VALUE - $10.25 = An above average
artistically inspired surreal thriller that distorts reality and builds
intense moments of suspense and tension.
SYNOPSIS: The things that lie on the surface of reality for Henry
Lethem (GOSLING) and Dr. Sam Foster (McGREGOR) spiral through the
mysteries of identity and dreams. New York psychiatrist Sam Foster is
urgently trying to stop his unusual patient that he inherited, Lethem,
from carrying out a premeditated suicide on the eve of his 21st birthday.
Sam is drawn into the web of Henry’s life and the labyrinth of his
subconscious. Sam’s own tightly held grip on the rational world begins
to melt away as he is faced with increasingly surreal encounters, and a
Manhattan transformed into a wildly shifting dreamscape. Sam can no longer
figure out what is true, what is only in his head, or where he begins and
Henry ends. Who is Henry Lethem and why is he fracturing Sam’s reality?
Clues and suspense simultaneously build into the story’s climax on the
Brooklyn Bridge. It quickly becomes clear that what is happening to Sam
and Henry is taking place not in this world but in the twilight state
between living and dying, and behind the tale of STAY lays a far more
unsettling and surreal mystery.
REVIEW: Director Marc Forster and screenwriter David Benioff take
the audience on a journey into the unknown that draws upon literary works
like “The Occurrence at Owl Creek Bride” and films such as
“Jacob’s Ladder.” Still, there is another aspect of the tale that
brought to mind the tragic side of the 1957 Cary Grant and Deborah Carr
film “An Affair to Remember,” in this instance the Brooklyn Bridge is
at the climax of the film. In mentioning those works I might have already
said too much about STAY. However, it offers little insight into the
sophisticated interplay between the story and the highly stylized visual
aspect of the film. The visual elements of STAY are as important to the
story as the actors. The filmmakers, and the performances, definitely
instill a sense of unease, and we know that there is something not right
with this world they present. As the two main characters, Dr. Foster and
Henry, interact, the film becomes a matter of identity and reality. Which
character is at the center of this coming storm? I think the filmmakers go
so far out on a metaphysical limb that they back themselves into a corner
that distances the audience from the resolution of the film. It’s a
complex matter of understanding verses acceptance; can the audience grasp
the film’s implications? It seems that you need to have an idea about
quantum physics and its implications in terms of spirituality.
There are three key characters to this story, Sam Foster, Henry Letham,
and Kate Burton. Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling, and Naomi Watts excellently
portray all three characters, respectively. It was enjoyable to see
McGregor and Watts in a more adult themed story, and they shared some
compelling screen time together. McGregor’s character seems to enter a
bad dream when compared to the waking nightmare Gosling’s character is
dealing with. It is an exceptional performance as you can feel his pain
and frustration of living this dreadful life.
STAY is not your typical Hollywood film, by any stretch of the
imagination. It is a rare film that requires the audience to pay attention
and immerse themselves in the narrative and drama, going along on the
journey of these characters. The complex nature of this film can by
alienating to your typical multiplex audience, who will surly vocalize
their issues with the film, that may make STAY a bit more enjoyable when
watched on DVD, in the solitude of one’s home.
CREW: Director - Marc Forster; Screenplay - David Benioff;
Producers - Arnon Milchan, Tom Lassally, & Eric Kopeloff; Director of
Photography - Roberto Schaefer; Production Designer - Kevin Thompson;
Music Composed - Asche & Spencer; Visual Effects Designer - Kevin Tod
Haug; Costume Designer - Frank Fleming; Original Artwork and Polaroids -
Stefanie Schneider; Special Effects Makeup - John Caglione, Jr.; Special
Prosthetic Effects - Steve Johnson’s EDGE FX, INC.; Visual Effects - THE
FX CARTEL Carole Bouchard, Jean-Yves Martel, & Martial Vincent; Visual
Effects - BUZZ IMAGE GROUP; Visual Effects - KLON FILMS, INC.; Visual
Effects - MERLIN VISUAL EFFECTS; Visual Effects - FOGstudio, INC.; Visual
Effects - FRANTIC FILMS; Visual Effects - INTELLIGENT CREATURES; Computer
Animated Light Effects - IMAGE SAVANT; Visual Effects - R!OT.
CAST: Sam Foster… EWAN McGREGOR; Henry Letham… RYAN GOSLING;
Mrs. Letham… KATE BURTON; Lila Culpepper… NAOMI WATTS; Athena…
ELIZABETH REASER; Dr. Leon Patterson… BOB HOSKINS; Dr. Beth Levy…
JANEANE GAROFALO; Dr. Ren… B.D. WONG.
* Based on the regular $10.75 ticket prices of a Manhattan
theater.
Reviewer: Joseph
B. Mauceri
Score: 
Related web link: STAY
Official Site