Gothika [2003]
Director: Mathieu Kassovitz
Actor: Halle Berry, Penélope Cruz, Robert Downey Jr.
Miranda [Berry], a young and upcoming psychiatrist at a large Arkham Assylum-like psychiatric facility for the criminally insane finds herself working the curious case of a girl named Chloe, who says she’s being raped by the Devil. Chloe doesn’t seem to have all her marbles straight and in session gone bad manages to “infect” Miranda with the same problem, for on her way back home one stormy evening, while taking a detour, she almost runs over a girl. Upon inspection the girl seems to be unhurt by the near-collision. She’s naked, confused, and bleeding. When Miranda offers her a coat she grabs her, and they are both engulfed by flame. The next thing Miranda knows, she’s locked up in the psychiatric facility, accused of brutally hacking her husband apart. She tries to retrace her steps, to figure out what’s going on. Who’s the girl? Did Miranda kill her husband? And what has Chloe got to do with it?
This film deals, very accurately, with the concept of trust, when everyone thinks you’re crazy. You can’t trust people who think you’re crazy, because they don’t believe you’re telling the truth.
Good film. One of the few horror films I actually found compelling and frightening.
