Director: Christophe Charrier
Writers: Elodie Namer, Christophe Charrier, Timothé Le Boucher
Stars: Txomin Vergez, Clotilde Hesme, Rebecca Williams
For three years, Thomas (Txomin Vergez) was in a coma. Now that the now 19-year-old is conscious again, the difficult path back to normal begins for him. Not only that his muscles have completely atrophied over time and need to be trained again. He also can't remember anything that happened before his coma. This could also be due to the tragedy of the events: his parents died in an attack at that time, like his cousin, he himself was seriously injured. His sister, in turn, has disappeared without a trace. But what was the robbery about? The psychologist Anna is supposed to help him answer this question and help him piece together what really happened at that moment...
And the next case of acute amnesia. In recent weeks and months there has been a veritable avalanche of films and series in which the protagonist finds himself completely out of memory at the beginning of the story and has to try to reconstruct his own past. Who I am? What happened? How did I get here? The questions are usually very similar. Ollie's Odyssey was probably the best example of a forgotten toy trying to get back to its former owner. However, most of the examples relate to the thriller genre, such as recently Blackout – On the cartel network. For those who haven't had enough of this scenario, there is now a recommended rerun from France, in the form of the film The Patient Who Comes Upstairs airing.
Here again it is the part of the mystery that is given the most emphasis. Instead of sending the protagonist on a great adventure or placing numerous dangerous people on him, the action part is reduced to a minimum. For obvious reasons: a young man who is lying in bed and can barely move is not necessarily predestined to advance decisively in the plot. Much of The Patient also takes place in the head of Thomas, who gradually discovers what happened at that moment and puts these individual fragments together to form an overall picture. This happens in conversations and memories. However, current visions are also mixed, in which the limits between reality and imagination are sometimes not entirely clear.
At this point, a threat that affects the present comes into play. Then Thomas has the feeling that he has been followed by a stranger since he woke up. This creates a lot of tension, all the more so since you cannot counteract this danger. Strapped to his bed, he is virtually helpless at the man's mercy. At the same time, the audience may also have doubts about whether this man exists. The patient leaves it open to the end. It is quite possible that the perpetrator from then has returned and wants to prevent the truth from coming out. Or maybe his head is playing a trick on him, the aftermath of a traumatic event that changed his life forever. The answer to this question is closely linked to what happened that night.
It is indisputable that the film follows a very classic pattern. But it was implemented fine. Director and co-writer Christophe Charrier (Jonas – Forget Me Not), who here adapted Timothé Le Boucher's comic The Patient, skilfully plays with the pieces of the genre and keeps the audience in the dark. This is allowed to speculate a lot and tremble at one time or another as to whether the protagonist will make it. As is often the case in this area, credibility is an issue. Maybe you shouldn't overthink everything. On the other hand, the mystery thriller is atmospheric and well acted, and the resolution has it all. If you're still in the mood for this kind of story, it's worth tuning in to.
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