''Numb'' is a 2007 American
dark
Darkness, the direct opposite of lightness, is defined as a lack of illumination, an absence of visible light, or a surface that absorbs light, such as black or brown.
Human vision is unable to distinguish colors in conditions of very low lu ...
romantic comedy
Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typica ...
film written and directed by
Harris Goldberg. According to an interview with Goldberg on a bonus feature of the DVD release, he was inspired to write the screenplay by his own experience battling
depersonalization disorder
Depersonalization-derealization disorder (DPDR, DPD) is a mental disorder in which the person has persistent or recurrent feelings of depersonalization or derealization. Depersonalization is described as feeling disconnected or detached from one ...
and
clinical depression
Major depressive disorder (MDD), also known as clinical depression, is a mental disorder characterized by at least two weeks of pervasive low mood, low self-esteem, and loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities. Intro ...
.
Plot
When modestly successful
screenwriter Hudson Milbank descends into a strange mood in which he feels detached from the world around him and unable to connect with his surroundings, either physically or emotionally, he initially attributes it to a night of excessive
cannabis
''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: '' Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternative ...
use. His writing partner Tom is disturbed by the sudden change in Hudson's demeanor and urges him to seek psychiatric help.
Dr. Townsend diagnoses his condition as
depersonalization disorder
Depersonalization-derealization disorder (DPDR, DPD) is a mental disorder in which the person has persistent or recurrent feelings of depersonalization or derealization. Depersonalization is described as feeling disconnected or detached from one ...
and prescribes various medications including
Clonazepam
Clonazepam, sold under the brand names Klonopin and Rivotril, is a medication used to prevent and treat seizures, panic disorder, anxiety disorders, and the movement disorder known as akathisia. It is a tranquilizer of the benzodiazepine class ...
, and when nothing seems to help Hudson consults Dr. Richmond, who also sees drugs, albeit
divalproex sodium
Valproate (VPA) and its valproic acid, sodium valproate, and valproate semisodium forms are medications primarily used to treat epilepsy and bipolar disorder and prevent migraine headaches. They are useful for the prevention of seizures in thos ...
and others rather than Clonazepam, as the solution.
Hudson meets Sara, a beautiful young woman who finds him attractive and appealing and decides to introduce him to as many positive and compelling experiences as possible. Also trying to help him is yet another psychiatrist, Dr. Blaine, who initially resists his advances but ultimately has an affair with him before revealing she has serious issues of her own that require professional attention.
Cast
*
Matthew Perry
Matthew Langford Perry (born August 19, 1969) is an American-Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the NBC television sitcom ''Friends'' (1994–2004).
As well as starring in the short-lived television series '' St ...
as Hudson Milbank
*
Lynn Collins
Viola Lynn Collins (born May 16, 1977) is an American actress. She has made television appearances in ''True Blood'' (2008), '' Manhunt: Unabomber'' (2017) and '' The Walking Dead'' (2021–2022), and is recognized for her roles in films such a ...
as Sara Harrison, a film development executive
*
Kevin Pollak
Kevin Elliot Pollak (born October 30, 1957) is an American actor, comedian, impressionist and podcast host. He has appeared in over 80 films; his roles include Sam Weinberg in Rob Reiner's legal film ''A Few Good Men'', Jacob Goldman in '' Grump ...
as Tom
*
Mary Steenburgen as Dr. Blaine
*
Helen Shaver
Helen Shaver (born February 24, 1951) is a Canadian actress and film and television director. She has received Emmy and Saturn Award nominations, among other honours.
Early life
Shaver was born and raised, with five sisters, in St. Thomas, Ont ...
as Audrey Milbank, Hudson's mother
*
William B. Davis
William Bruce Davis (born January 13, 1938) is a Canadian actor, best known for his role as the Cigarette Smoking Man on ''The X-Files''. Besides appearing in many TV programs and movies, he founded his own acting school, the William Davis Ce ...
as Peter Milbank, Hudson's father
*
Brian George
Brian George (born 1 July 1952) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles as Pakistani restaurateur Babu Bhatt in ''Seinfeld'' (1989–1998), the Indian gynecologist father of Raj Koothrappali in ''The Big Bang Theory'' (2007–2019 ...
as Dr. Richmond
*
Bob Gunton
Robert Patrick Gunton Jr. (born November 15, 1945) is an American character actor of stage and screen. He is known for playing strict authoritarian characters, including Warden Samuel Norton in the 1994 prison drama '' The Shawshank Redemption'' ...
as Dr. Townsend
*
Keegan Connor Tracy
Keegan Connor Tracy (born December 3, 1971) is a Canadian actress and author. She is best known for her roles as Audrey Malone in the Showtime comedy-drama series '' Beggars and Choosers'' (1999–2000), the Blue Fairy in the ABC fantasy drama ...
as Mt. Sinai Nurse
Production
Although the film is set in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, the film was shot on location in
Vancouver
Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...
and other locations in
British Columbia
British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...
's
Lower Mainland, including
Coquitlam
Coquitlam ( ) is a city in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, Canada. Mainly suburban, Coquitlam is the sixth-largest city in the province, with a population of 148,625 in 2021, and one of the 21 municipalities comprising Metro Vancouver. ...
,
Port Coquitlam
Port Coquitlam ( ) is a city in British Columbia, Canada. Located east of Vancouver, it is on the north bank of the confluence of the Fraser River and the Pitt River. Coquitlam borders it on the north, the Coquitlam River borders it on the west, ...
,
Maple Ridge,
Pitt Meadows
Pitt Meadows is a municipality of Metro Vancouver in southwestern British Columbia, Canada. Incorporated in 1914, it has a land area of and a population of 19,146 as of 2021. The municipality received its name from the Pitt River and Pitt Lake ...
, and
Langley Langley may refer to:
People
* Langley (surname), a common English surname, including a list of notable people with the name
* Dawn Langley Simmons (1922–2000), English author and biographer
* Elizabeth Langley (born 1933), Canadian perfor ...
.
Soundtrack
The film's original score was composed by
Ryan Shore
Ryan Shore (born 29 December 1974) is a Canadian composer, songwriter, Conducting, conductor, music producer, and music director for film composer, film, Television show, television, virtual reality, Albums, records, Video game composer, games, co ...
. The film's
soundtrack
A soundtrack is recorded music accompanying and synchronised to the images of a motion picture, drama, book, television program, radio program, or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack ...
includes songs by
The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford. H ...
,
Ivy
''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...
,
Iron & Wine
Samuel "Sam" Ervin Beam (born July 26, 1974), better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released six studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a ...
,
Elliott Smith,
Blondie, and
Doves
Columbidae () is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. It is the only family in the order Columbiformes. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills that in some species feature fleshy ceres. They primarily ...
. The score was released on June 17, 2008, and features the following tracks:
#"Numb" 1:48
#"Sara" 2:25
#"Childhood" 1:24
#"Anti-Psychotic" 2:15
#"Cafe" 0:50
#"Chasing Sara" 2:36
#"Hospital Testing" 0:55
#"Winding the Watch" 1:49
#"Dad" 0:58
#"Jail" 1:55
Other songs featured in the film include:
*
The Dandy Warhols
The Dandy Warhols are an American alternative rock band, formed in Portland, Oregon, in 1994 by singer-guitarist Courtney Taylor-Taylor and guitarist Peter Holmström. They were later joined by keyboardist Zia McCabe and drummer Eric Hedford. H ...
– "Cool Scene"
*
Ivy
''Hedera'', commonly called ivy (plural ivies), is a genus of 12–15 species of evergreen climbing or ground-creeping woody plants in the family Araliaceae, native to western, central and southern Europe, Macaronesia, northwestern Africa and ...
– "Edge of The Ocean (Duotone Mix)"
*Ryan Shore – "Libman"
*The Dandy Warhols – "Get Off"
*Ivy – "Thinking About You"
*
Iron & Wine
Samuel "Sam" Ervin Beam (born July 26, 1974), better known by his stage name Iron & Wine, is an American singer-songwriter. He has released six studio albums, several EPs and singles, as well as a few download-only releases, which include a ...
– "Naked as We Came"
*Ryan Shore – "Sally's Gift"
*
Elliott Smith – "Say Yes"
*Iron & Wine – "Each Coming Night"
*
The Doves
Doves are an English indie rock band formed in Manchester. The band is composed of twin brothers Jez Williams (guitar, vocals) and Andy Williams (drums, vocals), and Jimi Goodwin (bass, vocals, guitar). Additionally, the band employs Martin Reb ...
– "Caught by the River"
*
Blondie – "Rapture"
*The Dandy Warhols – "Bohemian Like You"
*The Dandy Warhols – "Godless"
*Elliott Smith – "Wouldn't Mama Be Proud"
*Ryan Shore – "Numb"
*
Vibrolux – "Made in the Shade" (uncredited)
[
*Vibrolux – "I Need You" (uncredited)][
]
Release
The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Productions. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. Tribeca was f ...
in 2007 and was shown at several other festivals, including Marché du Film
The ''Marché du Film'' (french for "Film Market") is one of the largest film markets in the world.[Marc ...](_blank)
, the Austin Film Festival, the Palm Springs International Film Festival
Palm Springs International Film Festival (sometimes stylized shortly as PSIFF) is a film festival held in Palm Springs, California. Originally promoted by Mayor Sonny Bono and then sponsored by Nortel,here for Table of Contents it started in 1989 ...
, and the Sedona International Film Festival
The Sedona International Film Festival (SIFF) is an annual, eight-day film festival in Sedona, Arizona. The festival was founded in 1994.
The Sedona Film Festival screens feature films, documentary films, short films, animated films, and studen ...
. It was given a limited theatrical release in Canada on April 18, 2008. The DVD was released in the US on May 13, 2008.
Critical response
''The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Hollywood film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade paper, and in 2010 switched to a weekly larg ...
'' wrote, "There’s an obvious personal resonance to Goldberg’s screenplay, but the film never fully succeeds in its attempted straddling of psychological drama and broad comedy. Whenever we start to become emotionally involved in the main character’s angst, the filmmaker throws in gags to provide comic relief. The result is neither as broadly funny nor as moving as it intends to be, and the tonal imbalance is ultimately disorienting." Wally Hammond of '' Time Out'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars, writing that although the film starts to get repetitious and uncertain, "things liven up as Goldberg reverts to more conventional, romantic territory" and with the introduction of Collins' character.
Accolades
Harris Goldberg won the Gen Art Chicago Audience Award at the Gen Art Film Festival Gen Art is an arts and entertainment organization that showcases emerging fashion designers, filmmakers, musicians and visual artists. It has produced over 100 events annually, which included fashion shows, film premieres and screenings, live musi ...
, and Ryan Shore
Ryan Shore (born 29 December 1974) is a Canadian composer, songwriter, Conducting, conductor, music producer, and music director for film composer, film, Television show, television, virtual reality, Albums, records, Video game composer, games, co ...
was honored for Outstanding Achievement in Film Music at the Park City International Music Festival. The film also won Best Feature at the Ojai International Film Festival.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Numb (Film)
2007 films
American romantic comedy-drama films
2007 comedy-drama films
2007 independent films
2007 romantic comedy-drama films
2007 black comedy films
American independent films
Films about depression
Films about psychiatry
Films set in Los Angeles
Films about screenwriters
American films based on actual events
Films shot in Vancouver
Films scored by Ryan Shore
2000s English-language films
2000s American films