Trauma (2004 film)

Trauma is a 2004 British psychological thriller film directed by Marc Evans and written by Richard Smith.

Plot
Ben (Colin Firth) awakens from a coma to discover his wife has been killed in a car accident. A few weeks later, Ben is out of the hospital and, attempting to start a new life, he moves home and is befriended by a beautiful young neighbour Charlotte (Mena Suvari). Haunted by visions of his dead wife, Ben starts to lose his grip on reality.

Cast

 * Colin Firth as Ben
 * Mena Suvari as Charlotte
 * Naomie Harris as Elisa
 * Sean Harris as Roland
 * Neil Edmond as Mills
 * Tommy Flanagan as Tommy
 * Kenneth Cranham as Detective Constable Jackson
 * Brenda Fricker as Petra
 * Jo Maxwell-Muller as Grief-stricken Woman

Critical reaction
The film is described by critics as a psychological thriller in the same vein as David Cronenberg, Memento, and Jacob's Ladder; however, most find that the film pales in comparison, with Eye Weekly calling it "just another pretentious Jacob's Ladder knockoff. " The film has been described as stylish, with iofilm calling it "a triumph of style over content. " Shadows on the Wall adds, "Evans fills the screen with... moody, atmospheric, and evocative visuals, " and Filmcritic.com says the film has "The Ring-inspired creepy imagery."

Neil Young's Film Lounge describes the film's visual in this way: "Evans (along with cinematographer John Mathieson, production-designer Richard Smith and editor Mags Arnold) tries desperately to jazz everything up, deploying all manner of distorted visuals - extreme camera angles and close-ups, plus over-atmospheric lighting effects and jagged cuts - in a strenuous attempt to get us into Ben's tormented state-of-mind."

Colin Firth's performance is the most praised aspect of the film. "He delivers a performance which highlights the range of his considerable talent" cites one critic. eFilmCritic says Firth "does the best with what he's given" and iofilm says, "Firth puts in a sterling performance in the central role." Reel Film Reviews adds "Firth's performance, not surprisingly, is the best thing about the movie, and the actor does a nice job of portraying Ben's increasing paranoia."

Film festivals
Listed Chronologically
 * Sundance Film Festival
 * Cannes Film Market
 * Edinburgh Film Festival
 * Toronto International Film Festival
 * Lund Fantastisk Film Festival
 * Athens Film Festival
 * Gérardmer Fantasticarts Film Festival
 * Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Films
 * München Fantasy Filmfest