''Trauma'' is a 2004 British

psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a genre combining the thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting. In terms of context and co ...

film directed by

Marc Evans Marc Evans (born 1963) is a Welsh director of film and television, whose credits include the films ''House of America'', '' Resurrection Man'' and ''My Little Eye''. Biography Evans was born in 1963 in Cardiff, Wales. He studied for a history ...

and written by Richard Smith.

Plot

Ben (

Colin Firth Colin Andrew Firth (born 10 September 1960) is an English actor and producer. He was identified in the mid-1980s with the " Brit Pack" of rising young British actors, undertaking a challenging series of roles, including leading roles in '' A M ...

) awakens from a coma to discover his wife has been killed in a car accident. A few weeks later, Ben is out of the hospital and, attempting to start a new life, he moves home and is befriended by a beautiful young neighbour Charlotte (

Mena Suvari Mena Alexandra Suvari (; born February 13, 1979) is an American actress, producer, fashion designer and model. After beginning her career as a model and guest-starring on several television shows, she made her film debut in the 1997 drama '' Now ...

). Haunted by visions of his dead wife, Ben starts to lose his grip on reality.

Cast

as Ben *

as Charlotte *

Naomie Harris Naomie Melanie Harris (born 6 September 1976) is a British actress. She started her career when she was a child, appearing in the television series ''Simon and the Witch'' in 1987. She portrayed Selena in the zombie film ''28 Days Later'' (2002 ...

as Elisa *

Sean Harris Sean Harris (born 1965/1966) is an English actor and writer. He played Ian Curtis in ''24 Hour Party People'' (2002), Micheletto Corella in '' The Borgias'' (2011–2013), Fifield in ''Prometheus'' (2012), Solomon Lane in '' Mission: Impossib ...

as Roland *

Neil Edmond Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. A ...

as Mills *

Tommy Flanagan Thomas Lee Flanagan (March 16, 1930 – November 16, 2001) was an American jazz pianist and composer. He grew up in Detroit, initially influenced by such pianists as Art Tatum, Teddy Wilson, and Nat King Cole, and then by bebop musicians. ...

as Tommy *

Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham (born 12 December 1944) is a Scottish film, television, radio and stage actor. Early life Cranham was born in Dunfermline, Fife, the son of Lochgelly-born Margaret McKay Cranham (née Ferguson) and Ronald Cranham, a London-born ...

as Detective Constable Jackson *

Brenda Fricker Brenda Fricker (born 17 February 1945) is an Irish actress, whose career has spanned six decades on stage and screen. She has appeared in more than 30 films and television roles. In 1990, she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Awar ...

as Petra

Critical reaction

The film is described by critics as a

in the same vein as

David Cronenberg David Paul Cronenberg (born March 15, 1943) is a Canadian film director, screenwriter, and actor. He is one of the principal originators of what is commonly known as the body horror genre, with his films exploring visceral bodily transformation ...

,"Trauma" Review
, ''Tiscali'' '' Memento'',Rich Cline
"Trauma" Review
''Shadows on the Wall'' and ''

Jacob's Ladder Jacob's Ladder ( he, סֻלָּם יַעֲקֹב ) is a ladder leading to heaven that was featured in a dream the biblical Patriarch Jacob had during his flight from his brother Esau in the Book of Genesis (chapter 28). The significance of th ...

'';David Nusair
"Trauma" Review
''Reel Films Reviews'' however, most find that the film pales in comparison, with ''Eye Weekly'' calling it "just another pretentious Jacob's Ladder knockoff.Jason Anderson

, ''Eye Weekly''" The film has been described as stylish, with ''iofilm'' calling it "a triumph of style over content."Trauma" Review
, ''iofilm - film inside out''" ''Shadows on the Wall'' adds, "Evans fills the screen with... moody, atmospheric, and evocative visuals," and ''Filmcritic.com'' says the film has "'' The Ring''-inspired creepy imagery."Christopher Null
"Trauma" Review
, ''Filmcritic.com'' ''Neil Young's Film Lounge'' describes the film's visual in this way: "Evans (along with cinematographer John Mathieson, production-designer Richard Smith and editor Mags Arnold) tries desperately to jazz everything up, deploying all manner of distorted visuals - extreme camera angles and close-ups, plus over-atmospheric lighting effects and jagged cuts - in a strenuous attempt to get us into Ben's tormented state-of-mind."Neil Young

''Film Loungue''

's performance is the most praised aspect of the film. "He delivers a performance which highlights the range of his considerable talent" cites one critic. ''eFilmCritic'' says Firth "does the best with what he's given"Scott Weinberg
"Trauma" Review
''efilmcirtic.com'' and ''iofilm'' says, "Firth puts in a sterling performance in the central role." ''Reel Film Reviews'' adds "Firth's performance, not surprisingly, is the best thing about the movie, and the actor does a nice job of portraying Ben's increasing paranoia."

Film festivals

''Listed Chronologically'' *

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

Cannes Cannes ( , , ; oc, Canas) is a city located on the French Riviera. It is a communes of France, commune located in the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department, and host city of the annual Cannes Film Festival, Midem, and Cannes Lions I ...

Film Market *

Edinburgh Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF) is a film festival that runs for two weeks in June each year. Established in 1947, it is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all ti ...

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a permane ...

*Lund Fantastisk Film Festival *Athens Film Festival *Gérardmer Fantasticarts Film Festival *Brussels International Festival of Fantasy Films *München Fantasy Filmfest

References

External links

''Trauma'' Official Site
* * * {{Marc Evans BBC Film films 2004 films 2004 psychological thriller films British psychological thriller films Films directed by Marc Evans Films scored by Alex Heffes 2000s English-language films 2000s British films