PATRICK
Australia, 2013, 90 minutes, Colour.
Charles Dance, Rachel Griffiths, Sharni Vinson, Damon Gameau, Jackson Gallagher.
Directed by Mark Hartley.
This reviewer has not seen the original film of 1978, its first release. This review will not be a comparison with the original film. After the review, a look back to the 1978 review of Patrick.
One of the advantages of a re-make is that the director and writer can take advantage of developments in camera equipment, styles of photography, in editing and pace, in special effects. This is certainly the case for this film. The photography is mainly dark and gloomy, creating the atmosphere of the old convent which has become a centre for research on comatose people and the possibilities of bringing them back to consciousness. The environment is not much cheerier, coast road, clouds, rain, fog. And within the convent, still with its many statues of the Sacred Heart, Mary, St Joseph, crucifixes, it is always very dark and eerie.
This is important because the head of the Institute, Dr Roget (Charles Dance) is urbane in a British kind of way, accent and all, and seems dedicated to his work. but, he is, of course, a mad scientist. His assistant in the Institute is his daughter Julia (Rachel Griffiths), who for most of the film is being the stereotypical hard matron, starchilly repressed. But, she has some more active moments at the end of the film.
However, the audience sees everything through the eyes of an eager young nurse, Kathy, played by Sharni Vinson, who becomes involved with the central patient, Patrick (Jackson Gallagher), a young man lying immobile, eyes open, but seemingly without consciousness. It soon appears that he does have consciousness with telekinetic powers. They are not the just the traditional powers, but an ability to use his power links to a computer to communicate in words appearing on the screen – not something possible in 1978.
Kathy is advised to socialise by Nurse Williams, the other member of the staff, a cheery young woman who does not take work over-seriously. She and Kathy meet Brian, a psychiatrist, rather flirtatious and interested in a relationship with Kathy. This leads to some danger for Brian and, ultimately, his death. Also in the picture is Kathy’s former boyfriend, Ed (Damon Gameau), who also becomes the victim of telekinetic violence. And it all builds up to a hyper-melodramatic finale.
The director is Mark Hartley who made the very interesting documentary on Ozploitation movies, Not Quite Hollywood (narrated by Quentin Tarantino). The film opens with the conventions of dark mansion, mysterious laboratory, mad doctor, of the odd goings-on, then it moves more and more into some shock-horror moments - and really goes fairly bonkers towards the end. The audience will laugh at various times, sometimes from the pleasure of a shock which makes them jump, sometimes with the kind of spoof treatment of the theme, other times with some really ludicrous lines. But, we can suppose that this is what the filmmakers intended, and atmospheric and sometimes tongue-in-cheek hoot.
1. The original film in 1978? 21st century re-make possibilities: plot, characters, horror sequences?
2. Grand Guignol? Telekinesis? Mad doctors? Psychological and physical murderous mayhem?
3. Introduction, the eerie corridors, the dark, the nurse, photographing, corpses, the attack in the eyeball? Creating the mystery?
4. Credits, the collage of headlines about Dr Roget’s work? His expertise? Issues finance, his expertise, the focus on coma, bringing people to consciousness, his adviser, the board? Dr Roget and his self-image?
5. The experiments, the variety of ways in which the victims were injured, unconscious, in the dormitory, still alive, the use of technology, laboratories?
6. Kathy’s arrival, driving along the coast road, the gloom, being early, Julia’s reaction? Interview, her qualifications, accurate answers? Her being hired? Response to the doctor, to Julia?
7. Nurse Williams, bright, the tour of the building, the old convent, the religious statuary, explanations of the routines? Kathy’s room, settling in? Williams and the invitation to go out?
8. Brian, psychiatrist, flirtatious, the past with Williams, the invitation to the meal, Kathy meeting him in the gallery, spitting, his apology, cooking, the injuries to his hand, going to hospital? Phone calls, in the car, loss of control, the seatbelt, going over the cliff?
9. Patrick, age, appearance, the mystery about his life? Attractive? The reflex spitting, Kathy testing for yes and no? The electric shock treatment? Its effect? His communicating via computer? Kathy’s initial compassion, but the audience knowing his murderous behaviour? Kathy trying to save him? Julia’s reaction? Documents from Julia,, the revelation of his true self, his trapping Ed, controlling?
10. The flashbacks, his relationship with his mother, her harshness towards him, the sexual aspect, his electrocuting them, the continued return to the death scene, naked, his suicide attempt? The deadline choice between you and himself? Kathy’s choice? the old man, injuries, the lighthouse, 7 o’clock, his warning Kathy and the news of Brian’s death, Cathy waiting for lights off at 7 PM?
11. Ed, the clash with Kathy, his arrival, talking, the meal, his burnt hands, the hospital, and calls, going to the building, his being trapped?
12. Kathy, the experience at home, car, the shattered glass? Williams and her being possessed by Patrick, her falling into the shaft? The patients, the chant about the hand job? Ed and the choice?
13. Dr Roget, tracked, finding Julia, the previous talk and Julia attacking her father, his dominating her mother? The electrodes for his death?
14. Julia, a change of heart, trying to kill Patrick, her own death?
15. The finale, Kathy free, Ed free, the nightmare and her taking over from the doctor? The happy ending?
