Asylum

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Rickie L J first, in a world where people like 'mama mia' I am not sure I should bother writing at all but... This is an outstanding film for a few reasons. The acting, the script. Natasha and Martin Csokas are outstanding. something sexy and ... off..about that guy. Ian McKellen is masterful. The look - the combination of the musical theme and the sad clothes, the music and lack of dignity everyone seems to accept, also, is the hallmark of postwar England. The director captured the dire, listless, terror in a tea cup feeling that was England in the 1950's. British movies of that ilk (room at the top, taste of honey) depict the hopelessness of postwar Britain and this more recent film is of that same intent. but this film goes one step further because It is a mental hospital. Everything is ugly, sad, hopeless. out of place. wrong. and the mechinations going on behind the scenes are the stuff of great memorable albeit unpleasant stories. Ian McKellan plays about as perverse a bad guy as has ever been played, he's just ... quiet about it. Opportunities present themselves, and his sly and cruel mishandling of patients, priorities, privacy, his authority.. all lead to catastrophy. The plot, a woman is married to a man who gets a job at the hospital.. a real up and comer. She is obviously got some history... his mother hates her, warns him about her... so .... what did she do in the past we dont know. She is clearly too sexy, and she does not know it's inappropriate.. But one day she gets tired of trying to do it all just right. Ian was the shrink in line for the job and is very jealous. he sees what Natasha is the moment she meets him. He covets her. She walks out of her house and into the garden where a certain inmate/patient is working and they have probably the most .. graphic hot wow sex on camera ever. Then a minute or two later she walks back into her house. so they begin to have sex almost in public - everywhere - for a minute or two while the guard is looking elsewhere. Finally the whole thing comes crashing down, the patient escapes and she moves in with him in a slum in London. BUT, fact is he needs to be in the hospital, he is crazy and very violent. He begins to deteriorate and so does she but they are locked together in some kind of .. madness. Finally They are caught, she is brought back like an errant child. But she clearly is not really well and cannot manage motherhood. Her son dies in her care and she is blamed most cruely by her husband. she breaks, ends up In the psychiatric hospital she was previously on the other side of. Now Dr. Ian has total control of her. ... Also in the hospital is her old lover who she longs just to see... He manages to keep them from seeing each other in cruel ways until ... She kills herself. the ending is not satisfying but there you go. it's a sad movie. There is a musical theme that plays throughout that is haunting and annoying. It drive the maniacal and dreary theme but... could it be better? Maybe.. maybe. I watched the film a few times. Finally I think it's too sad to watch again. But the first view is a must for any Natasha Richardson fan... Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/14/25 Full Review ashley h Asylum is an okay film. It is about a woman who becomes very curious about one of her psychiatrist husband's inmates. Natasha Richardson and Sean Harris give decent performances. The screenplay is a little slow in places. David Mackenzie did an alright job directing. I liked the motion picture because of the drama and romance. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Brilliant. Simply brilliant. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member I liked it ok I guess. I watch a ton of movies and this is the second movie I have ever watched that I truly hated a character. My God that woman was pathetic. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/14/23 Full Review Audience Member Mostly watched for Sir Ian who probably saved this movie. If you like unnecessary eroticism, confusing rape scenes. completely unsympathetic characters and stiff acting then you'll love this movie. Many points are left unclear or completely unexplained expecting the viewer to completely suspend their belief and just go along with it. For a drama that takes itself so seriously that's a ridiculous request. The character I was most interested in had a grand whopping total of about three minutes of screen time and then disappeared forever. You can safely pass this movie up. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member 85% "Leave me alone."-Stella Raphael (Natasha Richardson) Is the world not an asylum? Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Read all reviews

Asylum

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