Regression

There are plenty of evil people in this world. Some of them can change their lives, if they really want to. In my years, working in health care, i have met all kinds of sick individuals. Murderers, child molestors, and criminals, and you realise that some of them will never change. For those who can turn their lives around, good for you. Because i don´t think most people want to be evil. Most ordinary people work on their lives, to be a good citizen. But there will always be individuals who are dangerous in society, who should not be out in the streets. You hear some sickening stories sometimes, both in news, but also from criminal cases on tv. This will never stop, but if we at least can have hope, we have something to work on. Every year i am always shocked to hear about molestation cases, in all ages. Especially where young children are victims. This should not happen to any child, so we need to make a change. Pedophiles need to be killed, fried in the chair, or hanged. Hard words, but that is how i feel. We have many films that take on the subject of molestation. One of the most emotional films i have seen in this subject, is The Woodsman with Kevin Bacon. This film is more based on a pedophile, but we know that he molested kids, so it is still about molestation. This is one of those films that you will not stop remembering. It is very emotional, and Kevin Bacon did one of his best performances in his acting career. Another film i highly recommend, is Little Children with Kate Winslet, Jennifer Connelly, Patrick Wilson and Jackie Earle Haley. A fantastic performance from the whole cast, especially Jackie Earle Haley, as an convicted pedophile. He whould have won an oscar for his performance. Not that long ago, i came across a new film release called Regression. It seemed to be a film, that took on the subject about molestation. I noticed this film first at the San Sebastian International Film Festival, on their screening program. I am a big fan of Ethan Hawke, so to see his name on the cast list made me interested instantly. We even have Emma Watson here, who most of you know from all the Harry Potter films. With some big names in the cast list, and a very sensitive subject in the plot, is this a film people should see, or is this a film you should stay away from ?

In Minnesota, 1990, Detective Bruce Kenner ( Ethan Hawke ) investigates the case of John Gray ( David Dencik ). John says that he molested his 17 year old daughter Angela Gray ( Emma Watson ). The problem is, John can´t remember what happened, or how he molested his own daughter. Professor Kenneth Raines ( David Thewlis ) helps police to try and use his skills, to see if he can get John to remember. Detective Bruce is determined to find out the truth, as he tries to find details through interviews with the victim Angela. As he continue the investigation, he notice some unexpected details, that may change everything he thought from the beginning. Is this maybe even larger than anyone could ever have imagined ? What really happened to Angela ?

When i heard about Regression at the San Sebastian International Film Festival last year , i was excited for 2 reasons.

The cast of Emma Watson, Ethan Hawke, David Thewlis and Dale Dickey among others, sounded like a great combination.

The film is directed by Alejandro Amenábar, the director of the horror classic The Others, where Nicole Kidman did one of her best performances in many years.

There is an disturbing story here, that blends satanism and molestation, and you have to try and figure out if this is all true. And since we have a great cast, and a director who made one of the best horror films of the early millenium, you would think that this is a really good combination. In some ways director Alejandro Amenábar manage to put some interesting pieces together, but he stays too long inside a comfort zone. In a film with such heavy subjects, you need to experiment, and mix some unexpected turns along the way. This does not mean that Regression fails, not at all. Thanks to the great cast, and some interesting details in this case, you are still curious all the way to the end, what is really going on. I would say that the best performances here is without a doubt from Ethan Hawke, David Thewlis and Dale Dickey. All three of them, make their characters feel interesting. Emma Watson is not terrible, but i have never really seen her do many strong performances so far. She was really good in The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, and i do remember her performance in My Week With Marilyn, so i know she can act. In Regression, she is supposed to be the victim, and for some reason i can´t really feel her pain. I know acting is hard to do, and it is not an easy character to do, but i would have wanted more emotions from her performance. The strength of Regression is the investigation, where Ethan Hawke makes the viewer feel attached. Even if i may sound a bit negative in some ways, i still feel that this is a good thriller, thanks to director Alejandro Amenábar´s technical direction in dark subjects. I would have liked even more disturbing details in the case, and i am a bit dissapointed in the ending. You could say that the ending is not worthy the plot of the film in general. Still, Regression does have enough of interesting subjects, that becomes more interesting during the investigation. One thing is clear folks, stay away from Dansband Satanists, they are the most dangerous ones you can come across.

Rating: DDD