Director Mathieu Kassovitz’s latest picture, “Gothika,” is a fast-moving, unpredictable film that is sure to scare audiences out of their seats.
Halle Berry stars as Dr. Miranda Grey, a criminal psychologist at the Woodward Penitentiary for Women where she helps severely disturbed patients. As a doctor, Miranda is skeptical of her patient Chloe’s (Penelope Cruz) paranormal visions and dreams.
The plot takes hold when Miranda attempts to make her way home from Woodward one evening and is forced to take a detour when a storm buckles part of the road. On the detour she swerves to miss a young woman standing in the middle of the road and wrecks her car. She approaches the crying, rain-soaked woman and tries to help her. Suddenly the young woman screams and grabs Miranda’s head right before both become bathed in flames.
The next scene opens when Miranda awakes in Woodward, not as a doctor but as a patient. She is charged with the brutal killing of her husband Dr. Douglas Grey (Charles S. Dutton), the chief administrator of the psychiatric ward at Woodward. She has no memory of the murder and continues to have visions of the girl in the road while remaining incarcerated.
“Gothika” centers on Miranda’s pursuit of the truth behind her husband’s murder, and the reasons for her delusions. She is forced to decipher the true meaning behind her visions and abandon her disbelief of the paranormal.
“Gothika” also plays with the cliché, “things are not always what they seem.” Throughout the film, Miranda is forced to discover disturbing details about herself and those around her in her quest for the truth.
Berry delivers another stellar performance in “Gothika,” but without the sexual exploitation of “Monster’s Ball.” Her performance allows Miranda’s emotions to emanate from the screen and engulf the audience in her personal terror.
Cruz, likewise, gives a wonderful portrayal as a possessed killer. She uses her body language to pierce through the audience and rip any ounce of courage they might have out of their body.
Robert Downey Jr., on the other hand, portrays his character poorly. He plays Pete Graham, Miranda’s colleague and later her doctor at the prison. He delivers his lines with barely any emotion, utterly boring the audience. To entertain myself during his sequences, I tried to determine how bloodshot his eyes were, giving an indication whether he was continuing his troubling drug habit.
Sebastian Gutierrez’s script is to the point and basic, but it allows “Gothika” to keep a fast pace which makes the audience grip their seats in anticipation of the next scare. The film is unpredictable but not to the point where it becomes confusing.
Gutierrez uses light and fire as symbols in the movie. The use of light, particularly the presence of bright light, is used to show the energy and presence of a ghost. Fire, however, is used not as something destructive, but as a way to cleanse sins.
“Gothika” wastes little time scaring the audience. The shocking ghost-character Rachel Parsons (Kathleen Mackey), is sure to haunt the dreams of the film’s viewers. The frights start early and fill all 95 minutes of this psycho-thriller.
