Stay (I) (2005)

This movie focuses on the attempts of a psychiatrist to prevent one of his patients from committing suicide while trying to maintain his own grip on reality.

Director:

Marc Forster

Writer:

David Benioff

Stars:

Ewan McGregor, Ryan Gosling, Kate Burton

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ewan McGregor	...	Dr. Sam Foster
Ryan Gosling	...	Henry Letham
Kate Burton	...	Mrs. Letham
Naomi Watts	...	Lila Culpepper
Elizabeth Reaser	...	Athena
Bob Hoskins	...	Dr. Leon Patterson
Janeane Garofalo	...	Dr. Beth Levy
BD Wong	...	Dr. Ren
John Tormey	...	Custodian / Piano Mover #1
José Ramón Rosario	...	Cabbie / Piano Mover #2 (as José Ramon Rosario)
Becky Ann Baker	...	Paramedic #1 / Butch Cook
Lisa Kron	...	Paramedic #2
Gregory Mitchell	...	Dance Instructor
John Dominici	...	Boy / Young Henry
Jessica Hecht	...	Boy's Mother

Storyline

A thought-provoking and haunting exploration of how reality and dream-states may combine to form complex interactions. The line between the imagination and reality blurs when an accomplished Psychiatrist takes on a patient that appears to be suicidal.

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Plot Keywords:

psychiatrist | patient | suicide | bridge | painter | 

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Taglines:

Between the worlds of the living and the dead there is a place you're not supposed to stay.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language and some disturbing images

Details

Official Sites:

Twentieth Century Fox [France] Twentieth Century Fox [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

21 October 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

El umbral

Filming Locations:

Columbia University - Broadway & 116th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$165,388 (Brazil) (30 December 2005)

Gross:

$165,388 (Brazil) (30 December 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Regency Enterprises, New Regency Pictures, Epsilon Motion Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Sam wakes up in the first scene, there are some of Henry's paintings at the background.

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Goofs

All of the books in the "bookstore" that Dr. Foster visits as he is trying to find Henry have library identification labels on their spines, revealing that the scene was actually shot in a public library (the 58th Street branch of the New York Public library in Manhattan, as it turns out).

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Quotes

Sam Foster: [looking at the empty pill bottles] You can't drink while you're taking these.
Dr. Beth Levy: Mm. Apparently I can.

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Connections

Featured in Writing the Music for 'Stay' (2006)

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Soundtracks

"Who Am I (Animatrix Edit)"
Written by Peter Kruder
Performed by Peace Orchestra
Vocals by Hubert Tubbs
Courtesy of G-Stone Recordings

User Reviews

Brilliant! Once again, another example of box office revenue meaning nothing

As stated in the subject, this film is pure brilliance! The story is not completely original, it draws small inspirations from such films as "Identity", "Fight Club", "12 Monkeys" and even a little "Sixth Sense". But don't let that deter you if you did not care for those films! "Stay" is pure, cinematic genius from beginning to end.

Marc Forster is probably one of the greatest up-and-coming directors of our time. What he's done with this film will make any cinephile drool with delight. There are so many innovative camera techniques that your eyes experience a sensory overload of pure genius. One of these trademarks is a technique where he transitions from one setting to another while still making you think you're in the previous scene for a few seconds. For example, in a scene where we see Ewen McGregor's character in a shop, the camera then switches views to the glass door of the shop, which we see another important character looking through it. The door opens and the character walks through, at which point we realize he was going through a subway door in a totally different scene. Forster uses this technique, as well as many other amazing tricks, throughout, and it's no less brilliant every time we see it them.

As I said, the plot will remind you of a few other movies, yet the actual twisted ending, and the avenue which Forster and the writers take us there, is so completely different and interesting that this film simply must be seen.

McGregor did a fantastic job as psychiatrist Sam Foster, and Gosling was unbelievably realistic and convincing as the mentally unstable patient. Of special note is Bob Hoskin's almost cameo role as Foster's friend Leon. His character is so sympathetic and believable that it almost made me cry.

As usual with such films as last years "The Jacket", this movie was marketed as some supernatural horror film, but it's by no means a horror film. In fact I went into this movie dreading all the jump scenes and disturbing, weirdness that would make me run from my car to my front door at night, but really this is a straight up thriller in the vein of "12 Monkeys" and "Sixth Sense" (minus the ghostly appearances and dead people).

If you consider yourself someone who is tired of Hollywood's big-budget, slam-bang drivel and want to actually have your brain scrambling with thoughts throughout an entire film, RUN, do not walk, and see this film.