A “Paranoid” Thriller That Intrigues But Ultimately Disappoints
This is an ambitious thriller that captivates with its overall design and intrigues with individual scenes, but ultimately falls short of its potential.
Lockhart (Dane DeHaan), a young broker, gets caught up in financial schemes. However, his superiors offer him a chance to redeem himself. The company is planning a merger, and the contract signing requires all board members to be present. But one of them has abandoned everything and retreated to a mountain sanatorium in the Alps. Lockhart must go there and convince the runaway to return…
Even those who dislike horror might have heard the term “torture porn,” referring to films built around the suffering of victims, seemingly existing solely for that purpose. Similarly, “A Cure for Wellness” could be called “paranoid porn.” It’s a film constructed from sidelong glances, strange events, unexplained phenomena, untold secrets, and grand conspiracies, both insane and absurd. It exists only to intrigue – in the moment, while the film is playing. What happens after the lights come up is a secondary concern.
It’s somewhat strange to see this from Gore Verbinski. It feels like a vanity project, a film made to satisfy the author’s personal ambitions. During the viewing, “Shutter Island” by Martin Scorsese comes to mind, as well as “Crimson Peak” by Guillermo Del Toro. Both films take place within the walls of an old building, revolve around dark secrets from the past, and task the protagonist with uncovering the truth. Both also mask a pulpy core with visual splendor. It seems no accident that Verbinski is called a “visionary director” in the trailers, just like Del Toro!
The Devil is in the Details
“Crimson Peak” isn’t the deepest film, but it’s beautiful and stylistically outstanding. Emulating it isn’t a bad idea, but it only highlights the weaknesses of “A Cure for Wellness.” Despite similar resources, Verbinski loses to Del Toro in almost every aspect. Take the main mystery: it’s quite absurd, but worse, its solution is apparent after the first third of the film. The writers offer no other possibilities, and the important plot details are not just hinted at, but stare the viewer down with a hypnotic gaze. Try not to guess!
.jpg “Still from A Cure for Wellness”)
Verbinski is only interested in the main plot to a certain extent. He’s more interested in the process than the result. The villains weave complex plans where simpler solutions would suffice. We get fantastical touches that add nothing to the plot, and the main ideas behind the intrigue are flimsy. Consider the long and successful existence of a prestigious sanatorium from which no one ever returns – not even as corpses! And the patients aren’t homeless people, but influential and successful individuals!
.jpg “Still from A Cure for Wellness”)
Monotony and Predictability
Despite the ornate visuals, the film is drawn out, monotonous, and becomes tiresome. The plot is structured in mini-blocks where Lockhart tries to figure things out. He wanders into service areas, steals medical records, talks to other patients, and tries to meet the runaway director. He finds suspicious records, sees suspicious things, and repeatedly finds himself on the verge of death, but after each “cycle,” the plot returns to square one. Lockhart knows more, but the sanatorium director, played by Jason Isaacs, doesn’t seem to care. The suspense dulls, especially since no one seems to want to kill Lockhart.
.jpg “Still from A Cure for Wellness”)
The casting of the lead role also hinders emotional engagement. Dane DeHaan is a fine actor, but his charm is dark. Given that his character is unpleasant and empty (we learn little about Lockhart besides childhood traumas and his willingness to step on others for success), it’s hard for him to “win over” the audience. There’s also a sense that DeHaan is copying Leonardo DiCaprio’s performance in “Shutter Island,” which also takes place in an isolated sanatorium.
Gore Verbinski’s direction is also underwhelming. He tries to surprise, but only achieves fleeting effects. The film is memorable for its surreal atmosphere and extreme scenes (a close-up of a tooth being drilled!), but it doesn’t cohere as a whole. It promises more than it delivers.