This is certainly a unique film.
I mean that in a good way, I'll elaborate. A Cure For Wellness is certainly and entertaining film, but a flawed one as well. Directed by Gore Verbinski, and starring Dane DeHaan as Lockhart, Jason Isaacs as Dr. Heinreich Volmer, and Mia Goth as Hannah. The acting was really well done, however, nothing really stands out or breaks new ground.
I'm very torn about the film, I find that some elements of the film are done incredibly well, while others are painstaking standing out in my mind. Perhaps the most noteworthy thing in my mind is the visuals. It has some of the most beautiful camera work and sights I've seen in a long time. All of the elements, the lighting, the focus, and the scenery all add to the scenes in the film, each environment feels right and captures the viewer. However, there are points in the film where CGI is used, and it's used in such a fashion that it never really feels "right". I never believed any of it was ever there, and when it was present in the scene it felt like a distraction from the very beautiful sets.
One thing that was very jarring to me was the narrative. The plot at times is little hard to follow at times, and confusing as well. When I left the film, I was left with more questions than answers. Some plot points are brought up early in the film and are again mentioned in the end, but it's done in a way where you would almost forget it in the first place. The dots are there, but it's a little hard to connect them. At other times, there are a few elements that are never answered at all. Even at the end, I still had the questions. "Why did he do this? Wait, how does that work I thought it did this? How's that happening? Where did that go?"
The horror elements in the film are certainly unique. The plot is dark and full of disturbing implications about it's characters and history. It's what you would expect in an asylum horror type film, with horrifying experiments by crazed doctors. But I didn't feel like it was a psychological horror at all, I never felt like the protagonist was in any 'real' danger, I just always felt like he would be alright at the end. However, there is one scene that managed to make me cringe, mostly because of its terrifying implications.
Overall, A Cure For Wellness has some great elements, but also some very flawed elements in its film. It's a very visually pleasing film, but I felt like the other elements in the film are hindering its potential at being a much better film.
