SESSION 9 (includes spoilers)

[MikeSkerritt]

Hey all,

Last night I finally watched SESSION 9. I was pleasantly surprised at how psychologically dense it tried to be (whether it succeeded I think was touch and go) and the sure handed direction of Brad Anderson and his wonderful DP, Uta Briesewitz (who, incidentally, shoots my favorite TV show, THE WIRE). And though I'd hoped for a slightly more evocative ending, it had some genuinely creepy moments.

I do have a topic to bring up for those who've seen the film, specifically the DVD. In the deleted scenes there's a key subplot that Anderson explains was cut to "streamline" the film, involving a homeless woman who lives at the hospital. He claims test audiences confused the woman with the Mary Hobbes character (though he sounds like he can't understand why, and he's right). There are a few scenes with her retreating into shadows and the like, bearing witness to the madness going on, and finally she kills Gordon.

Most deleted scenes are at best interesting but ultimately extraneous. However, I can't believe they cut these scenes. They give the supernatural mystique of the hospital a more tactile quality, they offer a bit more logic to Gordon's deepening paranoia, they set up a quality red herring for the goings on, and, in the end, they offer some bit of resolution to the story (not to say that's necessary for every story, but I think it would've worked in this case, and even had something to say about the futility of Gordon's willingness to listen to the voices). What's intriguing is that Anderson seems to agree with me. Many directors express some kind of distaste (or at least ambivalence) for deleted scenes in relation to the story, but Anderson describes them as "eerie" and "creepy," and his only reason given to cut them, which is vague, was to "streamline" the film. Basically he says more to support them than say why he cut them.

I know I've gone on and on but I found this to be a really interesting, well-made film and wonder what your thoughts are on it.

[AndyDursin]

Mike,
As much as I hate to admit it, I've never seen SESSION 9...one of those rare Universal-distributed titles I didn't receive a copy of for review.

I actually met Anderson years ago at Boston College -- he came in to a small class of mine and talked about NEXT STOP WONDERLAND, which I believe had just hit the festival circuit or was about to. Cute little movie!

[MikeSkerritt]

Andy,

I highly recommend it if you like horror movies that are more about mood and a pervasive sense of dread than shock or gore. It's not without its flaws but as this genre goes it's at or near the top. It also makes me want to see THE MACHINIST. Anderson really shoots a beautiful film.

ps - I hope the spoilers didn't ruin it!