Trauma

While there’s nothing terrible about Trauma, the whole thing just feels entirely underwhelming – particularly in the wake of director Marc Evans’ last film, the surprisingly disturbing My Little Eye. Ben (played by Colin Firth) is struggling to cope with the death of his wife in a car crash, but finds himself being haunted by visions of her where ever he looks. Meanwhile, a mysterious woman (Mena Suvari) has just entered Ben’s life, though this doesn’t stop him from pursuing clues relating to his wife. Evans imbues Trauma with an incredibly slow pace, which would be fine if the film was building up to a monumental twist or revelation. Instead, the movie plays like a second rate Jacob’s Ladder, with Ben haunted by these weird visions and nightmares. Firth’s performance, not surprisingly, is the best thing about the movie, and the actor does a nice job of portraying Ben’s increasing paranoia.

** out of ****