A Cure For Wellness Review
8/10
It’s difficult to imagine a major studio funding a film this strange. Like many others, I overlooked A Cure For Wellness when it came out. I admit the negative reviews may have influenced me. I regret that now. I can absolutely understand why this film didn’t work for a lot of people. It is unusual and sometimes uncomfortable. That and the two-and-half-hour running time give it an intimidating aura. My interest in A Cure For Wellness came from watching Chris Stuckmann’s review on YouTube. I often enjoy the films he recommends, so I thought hey I’ll give it a shot. The first thing I noticed was how gorgeous the cinematography was. Studio horror films today often have a flat palette, but this is the exact opposite. The shots immerse you in the eerie world of the wellness center. The use of framing and sharp color contrasts bring to mind the famous Overlook Hotel. I thought I had some idea where Cure was going, but shit a brick was I wrong. There comes a certain point in the narrative where it transitions from creepy to bonkers. The story takes time to lead you down that road. It gives us time to imagine ourselves in this place.
I won’t go too far into plot details. It’s best to discover on your own. The setup throws us into the sterile world of a financial investment firm. Dane DeHaan plays Lockhart, an ambitious executive sent to recover the CEO from a supposed wellness center in Switzerland. After breaking his leg in an accident, he decides to stay there to recover. This is easily his best performance. Unfortunately, Hollywood doesn’t seem to know what to do with DeHaan. He is often miscast. In Valerian And The City Of A Thousand Planets, he did not work as the dashing hero. It didn’t help that his love interest Cara Delevingne, looked like his sister, which made all their awkward romance scenes weirdly incestual.
He felt shoehorned into the plot of Amazing Spider-Man 2 as Harry Osborn where we are told he is one of Peter Parker’s oldest friends, yet we have never seen him before and he is given nothing to do. DeHaan excels at strong character roles, but Hollywood throws him into superficial thinly written cardboard cutouts too often. Many horror films aim for disturbing, but very few today actually achieve that. There are multiple scenes in Cure where I had to turn my head away from the screen. If you are squeamish in any way, some parts in the film may twist your stomach. In the era of Marvel and Disney owning everything, a film this bizarre and different is a rarity. There is a never-ending battle with audiences. Trying to convince them to watch anything different is a challenge when the biggest grossing films usually involve superheroes. Modern audiences and critics often complain about there not being enough unique films from Hollywood, but when one comes out that challenges them, it often gets overlooked or trashed.
In the case of A Cure For Wellness, that dislike is not without reason. It is a deeply unsettling film. It ventures to dark places where most stories in Hollywood fear to tread. What begins as a fairly traditional horror tale, spirals into uncharted and twisted waters. The dread-filled atmosphere and stunning cinematography conjures comparisons with the Italian master Dario Argento’s best work, mixed with the pulpy thrills of a John Carpenter film. There were two moments in particular that were so unnerving, I had to look away for a few seconds. Despite the disturbing and ghoulish aspects of the film, what makes it stand out above others is the operatic tone. The execution is grandiose and ambitious, way more so than other films in the genre. Benjamin Wallfisch’s gothic score really matches that feeling and draws us into the grotesque and magnificent world.
I don’t know how to convince someone to watch this film. Usually when people express an interest in seeing a film, they ask about the story. Giving away anything before they experience it for themselves would ruin the fun. All I can really say is, give it a shot. I’m not going to ruin the surprise. Cure For Wellness is not a perfect film. There are certainly flaws, most of them to do with the pacing and structure. Flashbacks and exposition pad out the narrative. Most of the time they work well, but sometimes they feel like ways to stretch the film beyond what is necessary. It straddles a delicate line somewhere between European Arthouse and British Hammer Horror. For the most part the film walks that line with finesse. There is one scene near the end that felt a tad too Hollywood-esque in its execution and threatened to derail the film into a far too conventional territory. Thankfully, it manages to move beyond that and back into crazy land. For those expecting a fast-paced thriller, A Cure For Wellness will likely disappoint. This is a slow burn gothic horror. A lovingly crafted film where every detail has been assembled with a master’s touch.
I want to say I wish that studios took more chances with films like this, but on the other hand look at how it performed. When it comes to underrated films that deserved more attention, how can we convince the average person to watch a film if a trailer or plot synopsis can’t hook them? We’re in an intriguing and alarming post-Covid world. Part of me thought that Hollywood would embrace more mid-budget films as a reaction against the ridiculous blockbuster budgets that have taken over, a bit like the Auteur-driven New Hollywood movement of the late 60’s-mid 70’s. Unfortunately, it looks like I was wrong. Budgets are going to keep getting bigger and bigger. Films like this are going to have an even more difficult time standing out. When studios put most of their money and time into promoting the big hitters, how can a film like this survive? I can’t imagine what it’s like to put so much passion and craft into making something like this, only to have it be rejected by critics and audiences.
A Cure For Wellness got under my skin in a way I was not expecting. It wasn’t just the scenes that made me flinch. There are some films that just click with you unlike many others. It’s almost like the director made it especially for me. Like Verbinski peered inside my brain and thought: wow, this place is messed up, I can do something with this. I can see this film achieving a kind of cult status with a select group of weirdos like me. Chris Stuckmann said the same thing. I’m glad he has that perspective. Hopefully there are plenty more like him. It would be fantastic to see this on the big screen with an appreciating audience I can nerd out with afterward. I can understand if Verbinski feels burned by Cure’s reception, but I would love to see him explore unusual territory like this again.
Verbinski has never been a traditional Hollywood hit maker. He created a few famous films like Pirates Of The Caribbean and the remake of The Ring. Even those films were shot through the eyes of an auteur. It’s strange to think his first film was the goofy comedy Mousehunt. I’ve gotten the impression for years that Verbinski wants to delve into more off-the-wall arthouse films. Rango hinted at a strange side to his work. A zany more artsy side that managed to sneak its way into what many assumed was a typical kid’s film. The Weather Man was a low key character piece that showed a more emotional and grounded side to his films. He was even going to direct a Bioshock adaptation at one point. That could have been the first truly great video game film. Cure shows he can capture a mood and atmosphere better than most. Please see and support weird films like this. Encourage the major studios to take more risks, at least to bide time before Disney literally buys our souls.
