Brian's Review - Head Trauma

This film only exhibits some of the symptoms.

Released: 2006
Genre(s): Horror, Mystery, Thriller

The "slow burn" is almost a lost art form in movies these days - so many people want their action immediate and explosive, and their horror gory and full of gratuitous shock value. Audiences seem to want to pay their eight dollars, have their eyeballs seared out of their heads for an hour and a half, and then leave the theater, without having to reflect on any pesky storylines or ambiguous plot developments. I'm sometimes part of this crowd, using movies as a way of shutting down my brain completely and feasting ravenously on visual spectacle. However, every now and then I like when a film engages me on a mental level, intellectually pushing my mind to solve a mad mystery before the time-released answer is revealed. "Head Trauma" is one such movie in a lot of ways, bombarding the viewer's senses with enigmatic and unsettling images, without offering immediate explanation, and letting the story unhurriedly unfold segment by segment over the duration of the film. Initially, these sequences seem crude and sluggish, only occasionally being broken up by a quick scene of a startling spook or a violent flashback. While this might grate on the nerves of some, the majority of these pieces have an ultimate purpose, and the intriguing story aspect far outweighs the confusion that follows in the wake of most of them. Eventually, the deliberate pacing of this formula comes to a head, and the plot forces us to face a disturbing truth. Unfortunately, the calculated gait that serves this movie so well is a double-edged sword in some respects: while the slow buildup undeniably enables the atmosphere and uncertainty to add to the sheer creepiness factor here, it also may allow many viewers to guess the "surprise" twist the film so carefully tries to ration out in precise doses over its entirety. I wouldn't go as far as calling it a "plodding" storyline, but it certainly lacks any real urgency; it would've been nice to see the speed of the movie start to snowball as more and more details were revealed and the pieces of the puzzle started to snap together. "Head Trauma" isn't going to be for everyone, with a heavy reliance on plot instability and obscurity, unfolding at the rate of a slow march. Those who aren't driven away by this idea will love the surprising effectiveness of this technique, and how easily it blends surreal elements into a haunting ghost story that will both chill and amuse.

Rating (out of 5): 3