A Cure for Wellness
2.5 out of 5
If you’ve seen the trailers for this movie — you’ve probably asked yourself…”What is that movie about?” I know that’s what was going through my mind, and because of the overall creepiness and tone of what I saw, I couldn’t wait to find out what “The Cure” actually is. As the footage reveals and as you might expect, if you’re trying to be “cured” from being well — things aren’t going to go well. Gore Verbinski, known for three of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies and 2002’s “The Ring,” takes you places in this movie that will simply make your skin crawl.
The early scenes in the movie are just beautifully shot. Angles, lighting, focus and camera positioning act as actual characters in the movie and suggest you’re in for a movie that is not only good — but exceptionally well made. I’m a sucker for that type of stuff, as I am always amazed at the creativity with which people tell their stories. Sometimes a simple flick of the focus or camera angle can change the entire mood or direction the story heads. But enough of that…Onto the movie.
Early on we meet Lockhart (Dane DeHaan), a young and eager mover and shaker in the world of finance, compromised into doing his company a favor — as they have got information on him that could send him to prison. He is told to retrieve the CEO of the company from a “wellness spa” in Europe, after he sent the board of directors a bizarre letter saying he was not coming back and that they were not to come after him. The company, however, needs for him to return long enough to explain some irregularities in the company’s books and sign on for a merger that is to take place. After that, they could care less what he does. With little information to go on — but needing to “repay” the debt the board is holding over his head, Lockhart takes off to retrieve the CEO, Pembroke.
When Lockhart arrives at the spa, things seem normal — if only a bit odd — but he is not concerned with that as he is in retrieving his boss. He is told visiting hours are over and that he will have to return the next day, which he has no interest in doing. Lockhart then bulls his way into the higher ups offices and tries to lay down the law — to no avail. He finally agrees to come back later, and upon leaving the spa is involved in a terrible car accident. When he awakes, he has a huge cast on his leg and is told that his company in the U.S. is aware of the situation and has agreed that he can stay there to heal. Confused, but undeterred, Lockhart reassumes his search for Pembroke and to complete the task of bringing him home. During the course of finding Pembroke, Lockhart continually sees things that are amiss. Patients are all elderly and seem as if they are unaware of anything, as they blindly smile and follow along. In addition, there is a young girl at the spa, Hannah (Mia Goth), who Lockhart is told by the spa’s owner, Volmer (played by Jason Isaacs) is special. The more Lockhart searches for Pembroke to take him home, the more things start to go astray — and eventually begin to unravel — as it is more and more apparent something is wrong.
This is where the movie begins to go astray as well. What started with beautiful cinematography and a strong, mysterious story, starts to become unnecessarily long and muddled. In addition, without giving too much away, there is a point where the movie should end, but does not. It would have left you with the creepy, unsettled feeling the whole movie shoots for, but instead, it’s as if someone got a hold of the script and decided to take an offbeat, artistic movie and turn it into an action / blockbuster type of movie.
If you’re curious as to what the cure for being well is — go see this movie — just understand that it doesn’t exactly go where it should Be prepared to actually question what is going on during the movie as well, and for a long conversation going home trying to tie up the loose ends that make the movie overall disappointing.
