2005 / 99m - USA
Mystery, Thriller
3.5*/5.0*
Stay poster

Watches

March 08, 2006

4.0*/5.0*

March 21, 2023

3.5*/5.0*

A little mindfuck thriller from way back when. Films like these were pretty popular back then, though they usually came with a stronger horror flavor. Stay was a more dedicated mystery, with most scenes explicitly designed to confuse and bewilder. It's certainly still a lot of fun, but not quite as nifty and refined as I remembered it to be.

Sam is a psychiatrist who takes over Henry's case when his colleague falls ill. Henry is a young art student with suicidal thoughts. Sam is dedicated to helping him, but the more he finds out about Henry, the more he starts to believe something weird is going on with the boy. Sam begins to doubt his own sanity, yet he keeps getting pulled in further.

The presentation is pretty slick, but not quite as good as I remembered it to be. The soundtrack is nice too, the mystery is built up pretty well (though knowing the outcome does take away from the experience) and the performances are decent (apart from McGregor maybe, who wasn't the best fit). I had a good time revisiting Stay, it's just not a true personal favorite anymore.