SOLACE

US, 2015, 101 minutes, Colour.
Anthony Hopkins, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Abbie Cornish, Colin Farrell, Marley Shelton, Xander Berkely.
Directed by Afonso Poyart.

Solace is a police and detective investigation story, focusing on a serial killer who seems to be murdering victims who have no relationship with one another.

The detective team is led by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Abbie Cornish, the latter as a psychology expert. Morgan has previously worked with a psychic, played by Anthony Hopkins, and goes to visit him to persuade him to be involved. He is reluctant because of the death of his daughter from leukaemia and his wife leaving him.

However, he does, and the film offers quite some visual flair in portraying his psychic visions, flashes, quick editing, different objects suddenly in the frame like an artwork… The link between the victims is established, they had all been suffering from a terminal illness.

Which means that the serial killer is offering solace to these victims, so that they will not have to have prolonged suffering.

The killer finally appears, in the form of Colin Farrell, in the last 20 minutes or so of the film, also a psychic who has decided that his killings are mercy killings. He is confronted idealogically by Hopkins and there is a build up to a finale between the two – and an ultimate revelation of the fact that Hopkins had mercy-killed his own daughter.

Strong cast, of the serial killer, mercy killings, making this an interesting mystery thriller.

1. The title? The dictionary meanings given? As a noun, verb? And mercy killing?

2. The American city, the countryside, homes, police precincts, hospitals, school? The musical score?

3. A series of killings, the wound to the neck, what the victims had in common, not? The discovery of the illness? The old woman, the woman in the bath and HIV, the child and his brain tumour? The nature of the wound and sudden death?

4. Joe and Katherine, working as detectives, the background, her studies, forensic investigations, attitude towards theories, demand for facts?

5. Joe, a good man, wife and family, his work, his past experience with John, going to visit him, the persuasion? John coming to help, the information, the reality of his own illness? His not telling anyone?

6. John, psychic, living in seclusion, his past help with police work, articles and headlines? His daughter, as a child, growing up, leukaemia, in hospital, death? His wife leaving? Alone?

7. The film visualising the psychic experiences and visions? Of people, events, blood, details like a work of art? His relationship with Joe? The interactions with Katherine?

8. Following the clues, Katherine as a sceptic? The clue about the artist, going to the apartment, his drawing a gun, out the window, his escape, the pursuit in the car, John and his psychic giving directions, the crash, injuries? Information from the fleeing man?

9. Joe, his family, the confrontation with the criminal, his being shot, his death? Asking John for help for his wife and family? His being a target of the killer? To relieve him of misery?

10. The child dead, the parents of the child, unwilling to accept the truth? The autopsy and the result? The old lady and the information? The girl in the bath, her husband, the interrogation, the note, his wanting to leave with another man?

11. The switch in theme, the introduction of Charles, the star, Colin Farrell, being introduced towards the end of the film?

12. The meeting between the two, the exercise of psychic powers, Charles’s vision? Shared visions? The challenge? Charles and his work, his explanation, the mercy killings, relieving people of suffering? The exchange of wits? The effect on John? His valuing life, people not necessarily wanting to die?

13. Charles foreseeing the finale, the setup, the trains on the station, the building, the detectives, Katherine coming in, the confrontation, the guns, the shots, Charles are dying, Katherine wounded, John and his going to hospital?

14. The final revelation about John, his daughter, her illness, suffering and his administering the fatal dose? In the park and his wife reconciling?

15. An interesting blend of detection and the psychic?