A Cure for Wellness (2016)

Directed by: Gore Verbinski

Written by: Justin Haythe

Starring: Dane DeHaan, Jason Isaacs, Mia Goth

Aside from the creepiness of the eels, the scariest thing in A Cure for Wellness is the idea of water that dehydrates you. That the life giving fluid I always have near by could be killing me in order to prolong the life of another. Late in the film Volmer, the director of the clinic, says that the cure for the human condition is disease, because at least disease brings with it the possibility of hope. This is a bit tongue-in-cheek as he long ago discovered the key to immortality. Considering his past and present actions, perhaps the cure for the human condition is not to be overly burdened by humanity in the first place.

This is one of the most visually rich films I've watched in a long time. The location of a health spa at the foot of the Swiss Alps lends itself to gorgeous shots of the chateau surrounded by mountains, the sun hitting the building in just the right way. The interiors, while less exquisite feature the same sense of masterful composition. There is more than one sequence where the actions of Lockhart, the protagonist, and Hannah, the young girl who has been at the spa her entire life, are inter-cut, both discovering a horrific and thematically similar truth. A lot of the popularity of the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie is given to the script and Johnny Depp's portrayal of Jack Sparrow. After watching A Cure for Wellness, I wonder if Gore Verbinski's skill as a visual storyteller had more to do with it.

It's not just the visuals either, as the entirety of this two and a half hour film engaged me. From the first moment of the New York City financial district backed by that haunting chanting melody all the way to Lockhart's full toothed grin riding the bicycle away from the chateau, I was never waiting for things to wrap up. There were two points in the film, right after Volmer rescues both Lockhart and Hannah from the village bar, and when Lockhart willingly becomes a patient, where I asked "But where can the story go now?" When the film continued into the climax I was surprised. Lockhart is writing a similar letter to the one Pembroke wrote at the start of the film, the reason for the story in the first place. A lot of horror films would end this way. The viewer knows just enough about what is going on at the spa to be satisfied. The mysteries about the spa's history left embedded in the film, allowing theories to arise from piecing the puzzle together like Victoria Watkins and her crossword.

That's why I was shocked when suddenly a ritualistic wedding appeared on screen. Lockhart shakes out of his stupor and the truth about Volmer and Hannah is spelled out. Volmer is defeated in spectacular fashion as the chateau burns. Instead of lingering mysteries, we get a satisfying triumphant conclusion. The board of directors that sent Lockhart there are met at the gates. Lockhart ignores their outrage, riding off with Hannah. He has something to care about. His full smile suggesting that he is now using the same cure as Volmer.

I felt shell-shocked when the movie ended. I feel that there's more under the surface. Themes of ambition, the stresses of modern life, and how tranquility is simply killing us while we wear a smile on our face. Is that so bad though? The patients of the spa seemed happy and peaceful even though horrific things were happening to them. Early on in the film Lockhart's mother calls the nursing home she is living in a place where people get sent to die. The spa Lockhart travels to is the same. Although there is a cure for death that only is granted to those running the facility (and in the town below). The horror isn't that the patients are being killed having obtained a certain amount of peace, it's that others are profiting off of it. A critique of spirituality then?

Personal Enjoyment: ★★★★