Murder in Mind (1997)

A woman undergoes hypnosis to determine who murdered her husband, a crime for which she is the chief suspect.

Director:

Andrew Morahan

Writer:

Michael Cooney

Stars:

Nigel Hawthorne, Mary-Louise Parker, Jimmy Smits

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nigel Hawthorne	...	Dr. Ellis
Mary-Louise Parker	...	Caroline Walker (as Mary Louise Parker)
Jimmy Smits	...	Peter Walker
Jason Scott Lee	...	Holloway
Gailard Sartain	...	Charlie
Jon Cedar	...	Superior Officer
Ingo Neuhaus	...	Officer
Art Metrano	...	Judge
Rob LaBelle	...	Lecturer
Mitch Ward	...	Court Clerk
Anne De Salvo	...	Flustered Attorney
Jodi Long	...	Secretary, Helen
Eric Cadora	...	Secretary #2, Patrick
Nicholas Cascone	...	Prosecutor
Elizabeth Norment	...	Dr. Beck

Storyline

The L.A. police find two bodies in a fancy house and suspect the wife of one victim. Dr. Ellis, a hypnotherapist, takes her back in time; with the police listening, a pattern of spousal abuse emerges. When each trance ends, however, the woman, Carolyn Walker, wonders if those repressed memories are true. Dr. Ellis guides her through her trial, testifies himself, and continues treatment after the verdict is in. Carolyn's memory and well-being get worse after the trial, not better. She misses some therapy sessions, and Dr. Ellis comes to see her at home. Snatches of memory come and go. Can he help her remember what really happened? Are the cops satisfied justice has been done?

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Plot Keywords:

hypnotherapist | hypnosis | flashback | suppressed memory | doctor patient relationship | 

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Taglines:

Truth is the deadliest illusion of all.

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller | Crime

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 April 1999 (South Korea)

Also Known As:

Anamnisi enos fonou

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$4,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Alva Motion Pictures, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Evergreen Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Filmed for a theatrical release but was released straight-to-video instead.

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Goofs

In most U.S. courts, testimony given while under hypnosis is not admissible as evidence; it is too easy for a subject under hypnosis to be influenced by the hypnotist. Hence, so-called "hypnotically-refreshed" testimony is considered unreliable in a court of law.

User Reviews

Not Fantastic But Pretty Watchable, Really.

Confused murder suspect cannot remember if she murdered her rich husband.

Against the better judgment of hard-bitten "throw the book at her and save tax-payers' money" type police department, smooth psychologist/hypnotist (Nigel Hawthorne) helps her to relive the night of the murder by means of regression into her past.

However, as she relives life with her husband she begins to notice that lots of details don't quite match her memories. What really happened?

This is NOT a fantastic film, I wouldn't pay money to see it in a cinema, for example. The depiction of hypnosis is bizarre enough to initially seem quite funny.

Once you get over that rather shaky plot device though, the various layers of reality brought up by the hypnosis are quite interesting in a "what is reality?" way. It reminded me the teensiest little bit of "Memento" and even though it was late at night I ignored the film's more pretentious angles and sat through the entire thing. Mainly to see why the memory discrepancies occurred and so on.

The lighting and photography are also quite nice.