Psychiatrist Sam Foster has a new patient, Henry Letham, who claims to be suicidal. In trying to diagnose him, Sam visits Henry's prior therapist and also finds Henry's mother -- even though Henry has said that he murdered both of his parents. As reality starts to contradict fact, Sam spirals into an unstable mental state. Then he finds a clue as to how and when Henry may try to kill himself, and races to try to stop him.
Cinematography
Seamless long takes that dissolve reality before you notice
Direction
Forster treats psychological collapse as physical space
Score
Auteur-level sound design by Philip Glass; time itself becomes music
Director
Marc Forster
Ewan McGregor
Sam Foster
Naomi Watts
Lila Culpepper
Ryan Gosling
Henry Letham
Kate Burton
Mrs. Letham
Elizabeth Reaser
Athena
Bob Hoskins
Dr. Leon Patterson
BD Wong
Dr. Bradley Ren
Janeane Garofalo
Dr. Beth Levy
John Tormey
Custodian / Piano Mover #1
José Ramón Rosario
Cabbie / Piano Mover #2
Becky Ann Baker
Paramedic #1 / Butch Cook
Lisa Kron
Paramedic #2
Jessica Hecht
Boy's Mother
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The continuous shots were achieved with invisible cuts averaging every 90 seconds; Forster refused digital assistance to maintain organic disorientation.
The film's commercial failure (under $4M domestic) effectively killed the mid-budget adult thriller; Gosling reportedly still considers it his most misunderstood performance.
US
