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Friday, 17 February 2006 |
  For about the last decade, movies with trick endings have been a dime a dozen. In fact, all too often, a trick ending has been the only justification needed for getting a movie produced in the first place. Unfortunately, it has also gotten so any movie which has a significant turn at the end runs the risk of being condemned as nothing more than a trick, which begs the question, when is a trick ending not really a trick ending? From the opening frames of Stay, it is obvious something is not right. Beginning with footage of a car accident, followed by a man sitting in the middle of a road while his car is consumed in flames behind him, it is quite obvious something bad, and probably fatal, has happened at some point before the film began. So, it is no great feat to realize all is not as it probably should be. The mistake is in believing Stay is only a trick, intending to lure the audience into believing all is fine with the world. lulling them into a gasp of shock when everything is spelled out. It goes to great lengths to let them know something is wrong. In fact, it beats them over the head with it.
Ewan McGregor plays Sam Foster, a psychiatrist who is temporarily taking over the duties of a colleague, Beth Levy (Janeane Garofalo) who is not "feeling well" which it turns out is a euphemism for going a bit out of her mind. One of the patients he is meeting with is Henry Letham (Ryan Gosling), a depressed art student with suicidal tendencies. Henry's parents were killed in an incident he blames himself for and he idolizes an artist who killed himself on the Brooklyn Bridge on his 21st birthday, which Henry will be reaching in a few days. Sam often stretches the boundaries of doctor patient privilege by telling his girlfriend Lila (Naomi Watts) about Henry's tribulations, but since she is an artist who has attempted suicide, she seems to understand Henry in ways he can't.
The problem is, things are just a bit out of whack. When Henry meets Leon Patterson (Bob Hoskins) a blind friend of Sam's, he swears he is his dead father and Sam and Henry often seem to share the same memories, even occasionally exchanging places. Premonitions (or memories) of death abound, such as a young boy who passes by, saying "Mommy, is that man going to die?" at least one time too many. Other people, such as Athena (Elizabeth Reaser), one of Henry's fellow students, show up both in the present and in flashbacks as another person. Toss in an appearance by Henry's dead mother and lots of unexplained head bleeding and you get an excessive sense of death and foreboding.
The number of particularly talented people involved with Stay is surprising and is an example of how it often does not quite live up to its pedigree. Director Marc Forster has made two of the better films on the decade with Finding Neverland and Monster's Ball, both of which exhibit a subtlety that is distinctly missing here. This plays more like an effort from a freshman director wanting to flex his cinematic muscles with blatant storytelling and overdone visuals than a more seasoned one who has exhibited a flair for delicate storytelling. Screenwriter David Benioff wrote one of the best scripts of this decade with 25th Hour, but here he seems to be engaging in a basic writing exercise. The acting is generally good, though Ewan McGregor delivers his lines with a "carefully pronouncing every syllable" consciousness that feels like he is doing vocal exercises. Ryan Gosling is eerie, as he so often is, and once again shows there is often little difference between portraying a depressed artist, a romantic lead (The Notebook) and a psychotic killer (The United States of Leland), but there is no doubt he is an excellent choice to play Henry.
Lack of subtlety aside, the fundamental concept of Stay is deceptively grand, and when it comes right down to it, tremendously depressing. It would be a mistake to believe the meaning is only in how the events are explained, since it is the significance of the explanation and the impact it has, particularly on one individual, which gives the film its weight. Despite its faults and lack of subtlety along the way, the core meaning is actually more hidden than would be expected. In fact, it may not be until the closing credits are rolling that the true significance of what has happened is driven home. This is one of those movies where the final credits are an integral part of the story. Stay is not the cleanest bit of storytelling, but the impact is undeniable, for those who wish to dig deep enough.
Starring: Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, Ryan Gosling, Bob Hoskins, Janeane Garofalo, Kate Burton, Elizabeth Reaser, B.D. Wong
Director: Marc Forster
Written by: David Benioff
Cinematographer: Roberto Schaefer
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Rated: PG
Running Time: 99 mins
Release: 2005
Reviewer: John Rice
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