''Presence of Mind'' is a 1999 Spanish-American drama film directed by Antoni Aloy and starring Sadie Frost,

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary Aw ...

, Harvey Keitel, and

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Césa ...

. The film is based on the 1898 novella '' The Turn of the Screw'' by Henry James.

Synopsis

A woman is

hired Henry Jamison "Jam" Handy (March 6, 1886 – November 13, 1983) was an American Olympic breaststroke swimmer, water polo player, and founder of the Jam Handy Organization (JHO), a producer of commercially sponsored motion pictures, slidefilms (l ...

to watch over two recently orphaned children, Flora and her brother Miles (played by Nilo Mur). The woman starts seeing

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to rea ...

s and the children begin some very peculiar and disturbing behavior.

Cast

* Sadie Frost as Governess * Lauren Bacall as Mado Remei * Ella Jones as Flora * Nilo Zimmerman as Miles * Harvey Keitel as The Master * Agustí Villaronga as Fosc * Dayna Danika as Miss Jessel * Jude Law as Secretary * Jack Taylor as Father * Luz Fortuny as Aunt

Production

Frost has described the filming as intense due to the needs of the role of the Governess and having to be in every scene. Filming took place at the Raixa Estate in

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

, Spain on a budget of $3 to 5 million and took 29 days to complete. It marked Aloy's feature film directing debut. Aloy has stated that he wanted the film to focus on "the sentimental bonds that are established between the governess and the child".

Release

''Presence of Mind'' released in September 1999. It was also released in Spain as ''El celo''. The film was screened as part of the Cinema d'Autor a l'Augusta at the University of the Balearic Islands in 2009.

Reception

Critical reception has been mixed. '' Variety'' reviewed the film, writing that "Everything that's subtle and open to interpretation in James' novel of evil, possession and ghosts is lurid and obvious here, with a star turn by Sadie Frost that's unauthoritative to say the least and arch support from Lauren Bacall that gives the drama a ripple of unintentionally camp humor." Sight & Sound was also dismissive, as they felt that "As a measure of how James' text can be milked for terrible gothic grandstanding, Presence of Mind was exemplary." The New York Times also noted that "It seems to want the distinction of being the most uncomfortable ''Screw'' adaptation." Philip Horne was more favorable, calling it "impressively atmospheric, and successfully unsettling".

References

External links

* * 1999 horror films 1999 films 1999 drama films Spanish horror films American horror drama films Spanish drama films English-language Spanish films Films based on The Turn of the Screw 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-drama-film-stub