an extremely elaborate game of Simon says…
OBLIGATORY DISCLAIMER: You have to go into this movie with zero spoilers. I’m serious.
And, no, it’s not the most mind-boggling twist of all time. This is not a movie that will have you submerged in Reddit for days trying to uncover the meaning.
It’s just GOOD. Good enough to deserve respect.
Plus, if you’re anything like me, you reap immense pleasure from trying to piece together psychological thrillers on your own… you know, without having the nuance spoon-fed to you like some kind of ugly, drooling baby.
So, before you read any further, please go watch this on your own. It’s worth your time, I promise.
Onto the review…
This movie checks all the boxes for me:
- Great acting.
- Masterfully detailed, artistic cinematography.
- Just enough mystery to keep you engaged (without being so obtuse as to require multiple viewings to understand it).
- A surprising, yet believable twist.
Gordon and his rag-tag crew of fiber-men (shorthand for “asbestos cleaning crew”) are put under immense pressure after agreeing to decontaminate an abandoned psych ward in just 1 week’s time. As they trudge through Danvers Mental Hospital, aspiring attorney Mike stumbles onto an evidence locker containing interviews with a patient, Mary. Mary was committed after a traumatic incident from her childhood, which unlocked her multiple personality disorder as a defense mechanism.
At first seemingly unrelated, subtle parallels begin to emerge between the fiber-men and Mary’s plight. It seems someone isn’t being totally honest, but it’s not clear who.
Asbestos might not be the only evil lurking in these walls… (ooh spooky!)
I’ll leave it there for now.
At some point, I may write a more detailed essay about the vibrant themes and symbolism that are so deliberately layered throughout this film. Alas, that is not today.
(S)e(SS)ion 9 deserves an accolade even higher than an S. It honestly may warrant it’s own category on this blog, because this is my perfect movie. For now, it will live rated similarly to my other faves:
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