Stay Movie Review (2005)
A psychological mystery about a psychiatrist trying to help a troubled young man while reality itself becomes increasingly uncertain, Stay is a dark and captivating film with excellent performances, fascinating visuals, and a dreamlike story that keeps you guessing from beginning to end.
I am a big fan of psychological mysteries. Not just a “who-done-it,” but something that starts to confuse the reality in which you’re living. The Prestige, The Game, and Inception all have that quality. You think you understand what is happening, but you quickly discover that you don’t have a handle on it at all. It makes for such an inclusive experience, as you continually try to wrap your brain around something that is always two or three steps ahead of you.
Stay centers around Dr. Sam Foster, a psychiatrist who, in taking over for a sick friend, begins to work with suicidal patient, Henry Letham. Henry expresses that he will kill himself at midnight on Saturday, which will be his 21st birthday. In the meantime, Sam tries to figure out how to help Henry while taking care of his live-in artist girlfriend, who has her own issues, and consulting with various people around him.
This is a haunting thriller that has aged fantastically for being over 20 years old. Focused heavily on unsettling, surreal visuals that meld into one another in a disconnected way, as if you are in a dream, it is desirably disorienting. It is not scary, just discombobulating.
The movie begins with a clear premise, but you gradually feel the atmosphere, through visuals and score, closing in. It’s striking and almost hypnotic, as you try to arrange in your own mind what is going on. This is by far my favorite thing about the piece.
Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts, and Ryan Gosling star, each expressing sadness, frustration, and pain for one another, for the situations they might be in individually, and, seemingly, some greater angst.
The film is presented in a nonlinear way, but unlike others you may be familiar with. This feels otherworldly as a meeting or event unfolds, but somehow melds into a fever dream of stylized visuals.
Stay is not a movie that received great reviews when it was first released, but I found it extremely intriguing and was hooked the whole way through. Maybe it was ahead of its time. Give it a try, I think you’ll like it.
Runtime: 98 minutes
Motion Picture Rating: R
Languages Spoken In The Film: English
Should You Watch It? Yes
Did I Cry? Nope
My Rating: 3.5/5 Stars
Available: Free for Amazon Prime members or on Youtube, to rent on Prime Video or may be available for free on other streaming platforms
