Americans are a sickly bunch. No this isn’t a commentary on Obamacare or the ACA (they’re the same thing, people), but the fact is that over 40% of you choose not to take all of your vacation days. You might say Americans are literally working themselves to death, something depicted in the opening scenes of A Cure for Wellness and used as leverage in a nefarious scheme throughout the film.
Dane DeHaan plays Lockhart, a young executive coerced by his company’s board to go to Switzerland to retrieve their errant CEO, who is on a sojourn at a “wellness center” in the Alps, and bring him back to New York to seal a merger. Upon arrival he finds a beautiful locale, imbued with an eerie calm. Elderly patients go from activity to treatment and back again; nurses are helpful, to an extent, their lives revolving around the healing springs under the castle. Failing to convince his ward to return, he is injured in a car accident on the way into town and brought back to the center to recuperate. The facility’s director Dr. Heinrich Volmer (Jason Issacs) determines there is more amiss with Lockhart than a broken leg and prescribes him a “treatment.” Isolated from the outside world, he starts to delve deeper into the facility’s secrets, learning about its history from other patients and becoming close to a curious young girl named Hannah (Mia Goth), a ward of Dr. Volmer. As strange visions plague him and his “condition” continues to worsen, the dark secrets of the clinic begin to reveal themselves.
To address the obvious, Gore Verbinski (The Ring, The Lone Ranger), Cinematographer Bojan Bazelli, and production designer Eve Stewart have crafted a stunning film. Some iffy CGI aside, A Cure for Wellness could keep One Perfect Shot going for the best part of a month. There are stunning glimpses of the Alps, amidst which is set this clinic, with its stark institutional feel. Medicinal whites, serene blues and unnerving greens, sets bathed in water are luxurious and beautiful but frayed round the edges. The detail in the production design is exquisite, feeding into the evocative and disturbing atmosphere the film conjures: parts Shutter Island and Crimson Peak, with a smattering of The Wicker Man.
The mystery element provides the narrative thrust, with Lockhart investigating what on the surface seems to be a group of rich old people being gaslighted, but becomes far more insidious. The film piles on plenty of tropes and takes on a predictable feel at times: flickering lights, locals treating outsiders with suspicion, disappearing patients, odd noises from forbidden floors, even a twisted legend about the practices at this castle some 200 years prior. To be fair, this all works well in service of the atmosphere, cranking things up until later on when actual disturbing content begins to creep in, notably a dental sequence that gives Marathon Man a run for its money and a “force feeding” that come a little late in the game, leaving you wanting more. This lopsided payoff highlights the main issue with the film, its length. Two hours 26 minutes. TWO HOURS 26 MINUTES. It’s a runtime more suited to heavier fare; here it only serves to exacerbate the flaws and gaps in the script as well as rob the film of impetus. It’s a screenplay by Justin Haythe that required a shorter treatment (sorry/not sorry).
The most glaring issue with A Cure for Wellness is its final act, which dispenses with the slow and calculated buildup and allows the blockbuster filmmaker within Verbinski to take hold. The film doesn’t so much as shift tone as enter a sequence that feels like it belongs in a different film. The big mystery and psychological elements built up never really pay off. Instead we have a schlock horror finale that dispenses with the grace that came before it in favor of an abhorrent spectacle.
In this cinematic age, we should always applaud a studio for funding something of this nature — an original property, no big name star headlining (director excluded), and a tale that is certainly offbeat and full of interesting ideas; but Verbinski never fleshes them out, taking the more predictable turns. There’s plenty to appreciate in its execution despite its flaws, notably the cast. DeHaan shows his quality, combining unease and determination and a bubbling undercurrent of craziness as the film progresses. He’s playing a selfish ass, an unlikable lead, and it’s a credit to the film and DeHaan that you’re swept along for the ride. That said, it is somewhat gratifying seeing him broken down, to a point at least. Mia Goth has an undeniable allure about her that helps to gloss over a paper thin character. As the two leads, there’s some solid interplay between the two of them, rubbing off each other in a number of ways. Issac does well in a role that is crying out for Vincent Price, and they may not get much screentime, but much weight is given to proceedings by Celia Imrie and Harry Groener. It’s a shame that those involved are let down by a sub-par script and structure.
With stunning visuals and a well-crafted Gothic atmosphere, there’s no denying A Cure for Wellness makes an impact. But a lengthy run-time that highlights the script’s flaws and a finale that feels at odds with the film’s intent undermine much of the goodwill it earns. You can admire the ambition, and applaud the effort to do something a little different, but it’s frustrating that a chance to craft a modern horror classic was squandered.
A Cure For Wellness is in theaters from February 17th
