Plot: What’s it about?
If you’ve ever wondered what it would be like if Midnight Run and Shutter Island were combined, mutated and had their own film, I think A Cure for Wellness would be about as close as you’d get. I’ll also take credit as perhaps the only human on the face of the planet, living or dead, that has ever typed that first sentence. See, you’re witnessing history! I kid. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m a fan of director Gore Verbinski. Even dating back to his pre-Pirates of the Caribbean days with movies like The Ring, The Mexican (the film that finally brought Brad and Julia together…until Ocean’s Eleven that same year!) and Mousehunt. There’s no denying the talent in Mr. Verbinski, but some of his films have been a bit hard to swallow. And such is the case with his latest endeavor – A Cure for Wellness. Confused? Don’t worry, it gets worse.
A young financial broker, Lockhart (Dane DeHaan) has just received a promotion. He’s on the fast track, is ambitious and wants to succeed. The only problem is that his company’s CEO is vacationing in Switzerland and it’s up to young Lockhart to literally go and retrieve him. Pembroke (Harry Groener), the CEO, took a hiatus to a sanitarium and had become disillusioned with his life in New York. He’s written a mysterious letter to his colleagues rationalizing how his time has shown him what’s important in life. Lockhart’s job is simple: retrieve Pembroke so that he can get back to New York to sign off on an agreement. Failure to do so will see his company fall into financial turmoil and that spells bad news for, well, all involved. And it’s never that easy, is it?
I’ll leave the remainder of the film’s plot as somewhat of a mystery since, well, it gets weird. I mean really weird. Yes, there’s a deer walking through a shower, a naked woman bathing in a tub full of eels and more. You read that right. I’m not sure what the filmmakers were on when doing this movie, but I want some! Only kidding. Certainly, this is the most visually ambitious film I’ve seen since Melancholia and I did like that one. But I think I was more influenced by the visuals than the plot. With this one, I was just a bit…lost. Couple that with the two and a half hour running time. This could have benefitted from being about 45 minutes shorter, but rarely do they do Director’s Cuts that are shorter. The cast, particularly Jason Isaacs, has their work cut out for them. And if it’s a long, eerie and flat out weird film you’ve been long for – your wait is over. Good luck.
Video: How’s it look?
If you’re looking for a movie that’s visually ambitious, well look no further. I’ve read a few reviews of this film and most say “…it’s the craziest thing to come out of Hollywood in several years.” And I agree. The Blu-ray’s 1.78:1 AVC HD image is nothing short of perfection. The image fills the screen and I believe heightens the visual, visceral response by the viewer. There are some truly lovely shots in this film and the imagery is pretty difficult to describe. The sterile atmosphere of the institution juxtaposed with the “hallucinations” that abound really do add elements to this movie. If you’re looking for a mind trip visually, you’ve found it.
Audio: How’s it sound?
The included DTS HD Master Audio track pulls out the stops as well. I have to wonder how the sound effects person came up with exactly the right sound for a bathtub full of eels? It’ll keep me up at nights, no doubt. Vocals are strong and crisp, Jason Isaac’s deep, commanding (and surprisingly gentle) voice resonates. Surrounds add some emphasis and depth to the track and the front stage carries the rest. While not quite as immersive as the visuals, it’s a very unique track that’s a perfect compliment to the film.
Supplements: What are the extras?
- Deleted Sequence – “It’s Wonderful Here”
- Meditations – This is pretty literal. Each of the below “supplements” is a three minute video that stresses each element and asks you to relax and meditate. A soothing, German voice narrates each installment.
- Water is the Cure
- Air is the Cure
- Earth is the Cure
- The Score – Composer Benjamin Wallfisch explains some of his motivations regarding the score. He philosophizes “how can we make sense of a world with material gain and attribute that to the score of this film?” Well put Ben, I see someone’s been drinking the Kool Aid. Moving on…
- Trailers
- Theatrical Trailer
- Red Band Trailer
- International Trailer
The Bottom Line
There’s no denying that A Cure for Wellness is a movie that will stay with you after the credits roll. But it’s also a bit pretentious and I feel could have been a lot better film…had it been shorter. I loved the way it looked visually and though the supplements were lacking on substance, the movie looks and sounds amazing. It’s a polarizing one, for sure, but I’m sure it has its fans.
