GOTHIKA (2003)

GOTHIKA is about a psychiatrist named Miranda Grey who wakes up at the penitentiary she works at. She’s told that she’s now an inmate because she murdered her husband, Douglas, but she doesn’t remember it. This setup has a lot of dramatic possibilities. How do her acquaintances, especially her co-workers, feel about this? Can the nurses and security guards do their job when dealing with someone they know? Are Miranda's opinions about her patients different now that she's seeing things from their point of view? How ironic is it that even the patients are weirded out by Miranda's behavior? These questions are explored (the most tense scene happens when Sheriff Bob Ryan, Douglas’ best friend, shows up with photos of the crime scene to confront Miranda), but it’s the bare minimum. The beginning doesn't even establish the different levels of closeness between the characters, so seeing a guard lying in order to help Miranda escape rings hollow. No, it's the supernatural events (which may or not be hallucinations) that are placed under the spotlight. The imagery comes off as silly, but other elements do make a lot of the scary/thrilling scenes work. There are a few instances of lame dialogue, but the camera work is quite creative at times. Plus, Halle Berry, Robert Downey Jr. and Penélope Cruz’s performances are good. I also want to single out a scene where Miranda and Pete Graham (another psychiatrist) argue while talking over each other. In most movies, this kind of thing lasts 2 or 3 seconds, but here, it’s about 40 seconds, which must’ve required a lot of coordination.

6/10