Regression - DVD

A movie I wanted

The movie was scary and Interesting to watch a movie that showed the other side of religion a satanic cult. It had great acting I was convinced of the story.

A few people I cared about were caught up in the satanic ritual abuse hysteria back in the 80s-90s. Most were daycare workers and child care specialists. All were "born-again" Christians. Over the years, these allegations were found to be baseless. A lot of really good people allowed themselves to be distracted by a devil hiding behind every bush instead of standing on their faith and belief in truth. It created nothing but havoc and distrust. They didn't look foolish. They simply looked naive. As for the film, it was very well done and I highly recommend it. The ending provides a good epilogue to these tragic stories.

This is a tough one. There is so much to like about this film... and then ultimately... so much to feel "meh" about. If you watch the trailer you might be led to believe this is a supernatural thriller/horror film couched in a police procedural. Well... sort of. Without giving away the "plot twist" I can just say that where this film seems to be aiming is not where it hits home. That's fine as long as the true target is something compelling and/or intriguing. For my wife and I, this one wasn't. Director Alejandro Amenábar, whose most well-known work to date is The Others, is absolutely a talented director. This film is gorgeous with some really compelling cinematography as well as set & costume design. Almost all the actors are fantastic, led by the always reliable Ethan Hawke. He gets some serious backing from the always stellar David Thewlis. Unfortunately, Thewlis takes a bit of a back seat here and seems a bit wasted. Dale Dickey and David Dencik also both shine here. However, Emma Watson is tasked with carrying much of the dramatic load (along with Hawke and Thewlis) and she seems a bit out of her depth. This is compounded by the fact that her character is not the most likable in film history, not to mention multi-layered, nuanced and conflicted. Watson never manages to corral all the aspects of this character into a believable and/or compelling performance. As mentioned, while this film starts out strong and seems to be leading somewhere creepily fascinating, it ends not with a bang but with more of a whimper. It doesn't strike out, but it does lead you to think it's swinging for the fences when it actually was planning to sacrifice bunt the whole time. So the viewer will probably feel a bit let down. Some may disagree and this film might appeal more to a thoughtful person who doesn't mind a story veering off into an unexpected direction. But most will feel let down or even tricked. If you are curious about where this film goes, you can do an online search for "Satanic Panic" or "Satanic Abuse Panic." That will give you a good idea of what this film is actually about.

Great movie, I loved it!

This movie had a number of twists, and made you really think. A movie to watch many times jut to get it all straight. The actors were great in this.

A seduction of the mind, then the body - perception and description - the clarity of Reason and Purpose. Interesting.

This is the story of a small-town detective who encounters what he believes is a case of Satanic Ritual Abuse. He is assisted by a psychiatrist who uses regression to get at the truth. There is only one problem: no proof is found. Of course, to conspiracy theory believers this is no problem at all, but it /does/ pose certain problems for a detective trying to solve a crime. Incidents like this did happen. Some made the national news, others were more local. No evidence ever appeared of the ritual abuse. That some people worship Satan is, of course, not in dispute. The psychiatric concept of "regression", BTW, has been completely debunked. It has joined other barbaric practices in the Ashheap of History.

Muy buena película. Trae subtitulos al español

Der Film spielt im Oktober 1990, als die USA gerade von einer medial geschürten Welle der Satanismus-Hysterie heimgesucht wurden. Verschwörungstheoretiker, Prediger und vermeintliche Ex-Teufelsjünger hatten Hochkonjunktur. Angela Gray (Emma Watson), ein 17-jähriges Mädchen aus tristen Verhältnissen in einer Kleinstadt in Minnesota, beschuldigt ihren Vater, sie im Zuge satanischer Rituale vielfach missbraucht zu haben. Detective Bruce Kenner (Ethan Hawke) wird zur Klärung des Falles herangezogen. Der anfangs rationale Polizist gerät dabei immer mehr in eine psychische Verfassung, in der es ihm schwerer und schwerer fällt, zwischen harten Fakten und falschen Erinnerungen zu unterscheiden. Hinzu kommt, dass er sich zu Angela auf ihn unliebsame Weise hingezogen fühlt. Angela Gray ist ein passend gewählter Name, zumal die junge Frau äußerlich sehr engelhaft anmutet, seelisch aber über diffuse Grauzonen verfügt. Als Gegenpole im Satanismusfall treten ein katholischer Pfarrer auf, der den Teufel als leibhaftige Existenz betrachtet und ein Fanatiker des Glaubens ist; sowie ein angesehener Psychologe, der sich blind seinem Fach verschrieben hat und wenig Kritik hinsichtlich der von ihm zur Aufklärung des Falles angewandten Regressions-Hypnose duldet. Eiferer unter sich! Den Psychologen verkörpert David Thewlis, mit dem Emma Watson schon in "Harry Potter und der Gefangene von Askaban" zusammengearbeitet hatte, wo er den Werwolf-Professor Remus Lupin gab. Die Rollen sind hervorragend besetzt. Alle gehen in ihrem Charakter auf. Das Kleinstadtambiente mit der verwahrlosten Farm wirkt verregnet, schäbig, düster und unheimlich - ein Ort, geeignet für dunkle Rituale und psychische Abgründe. Regisseur Alejandro Amenábar ist für mich einer der besten seines Faches. Er schrieb das Drehbuch selbst, die Dialoge passen aufs Wort, und er hat ein Auge für Detail und Symbolik. Ein Beispiel: Angela hat am Bauch ein verkehrtes Kreuz eingeritzt. Am Metronom des Psychologen pendelt ein aufrechtes Kreuz, quasi als Antithese, um der Verschleierung auf die Spur zu kommen. Hinzu kommt, dass "Regression" ein vielschichtiger Thriller ist, der Horrorelemente und profane Tiefenpsychologe geschickt mischt und anfangs beide als Lösung offen lässt. Amenábar übt Kritik an Dogmatik – egal, ob religiöser oder wissenschaftlicher Ausprägung - und zeigt die Mechanismen kollektiver Hysterie auf. Das Lügengebäude hat viele Etagen.

Great Movie with lots of Twists, very good acting all round Highly recommended 5/5

Bella l'analisi psicologia dei personaggi e del clima di isteria che si instaura dopo glie eventi iniziali del film. Un racconto interessante e mozzafiato che tiene incollati sino alla fine. Il tema viene trattato abbastanza obiettivamente senza esagerazioni o cadute di tono o ricorso ai classici e scontati luoghi comuni che interessano i film statunitensi più recenti. Bravi ed indovinati gli attori

très bien rien à redire