Session 9 DVD > Reviews > ''I Live in the Weak and Wounded''

Author's product rating:   

Did you enjoy it?	Loved it
Story	Good
Characters / Performances	Good
Special Effects	Standard
How does it compare to similar films?	Outstanding

Advantages:	Great atmosphere  |  Good acting  |  Very creepy
Disadvantages:	Pace can be too slow for some  |  Ending isn't perfect

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

As much as we all joke about the 'men in white coats' coming getting chucked in a loony bin is no laughing matter. Of course you'd probably be too mad to really be too bothered about being there but having a pre-frontal lobotomy can't really be high on someone's list of things to experience. Historically the way patients were treated in these insane asylums weren't really going to win any rewards for hospitality; there was vast overcrowding, appalling conditions and some questionable treatment methods. Many of these places, at least in America, were closed down in the 1980s due to budget cuts but some are still left standing, rotting away until they are properly destroyed. So what better place to set a horror movie.

Session 9 tells the tale of four normal working class men on what they think is a routine job. The routine job in question is to clear out a sprawling building that used to be used as an asylum. Their boss, Gorden Fleming (Peter Mullan), is under a lot of pressure thanks to having a little baby he's desperate for the job so he wrangles a deal that will see them achieve their work in just a week in order to secure the deal. He has the help of Phil (David Caruso), Mike (Stephen Gavedon), Hank (Josh Lucas) and his cousin Jeff (Brendan Sexton III). As work gets underway things seem to be progressing fairly steadily but it isn't long before the effects of working in an asylum and the secrets some of them discover takes hold of them. As the weirdness starts to escalate paranoia sets in and tensions begin to fray, it seems the asylum has got five new inmates to play with.

A much publicised factor of the film is the fact that it was really shot in an old insane asylum that was only shut down around fifteen years before the filming took place. This is probably the films biggest strength because the asylum is like a sixth character to the whole movie. It has a presence all of its own that couldn't be replicated from a Hollywood built set. It's a massive place, you won't believe how massive until you see an aerial shot of it and certainly has a foreboding vibe to it, and you really wouldn't want to be there on your own on a dark night. Thanks to it being used as what they wanted the makers didn't really need to use many props, only a few were brought in and while equipment may have been moved it was all there dotted around the building (even patient records were found in the offices of the building) to make the place look even more authentic. It's little surprise that it also had an effect on the actors. Mullan, while shooting on the roof, said that for a split second he considered jumping off it and Caruso said that he saw 'something' pass by a window when he was there. With these accounts you can easily tell the power the asylum has and it really is one fantastic location.

The film is the first theatrically released film to be shot from a new type of digital video camera which obviously helped cut down on the budget but also helped the director Brad Anderson use some great techniques. Anderson credits Kubrick as inspiration for many of the shots he uses and it's easy to see why. During a lot of the film we have slow, panning shots tracking around the immense building that really does show off just how big and sprawling the place is. Soft light is also used to great effect that allows once again to show off the rooms in all their glory and also to avoid the cliché of shooting horror movies in the dark. Thanks to his directional skills Anderson does give us some memorable moments though the real stand out moment has to be the corridor scene where the power cuts out and the darkness seems to 'chase' the character who just so happens to have a thing for the dark, no special effects or tricks were used, just simple, effective use of the camera and the environment.

With the location being creepy enough on its own it's pleasing to see that the film also can be suitably chilling. As said the cliché of shooting in the dead of night is hardly used, indeed only one scene is shot at night. Yet shooting in the daylight can be seen as scarier because, as pretty as it is, it doesn't stop all the events happening. Due to a limited budget and due to them wanting to give the audience a chance to use their minds there is very little conventional horror scares going on. Gore is pretty much none existent except for one scene towards the very end of the film that will certainly make you wince. There are very few jump out moments in terms of visual shocks. What they give us is horror by sound and suggestion. Hearing the Session tapes is certainly interesting to say the least and also a little creepy. The multiple personalities put on by the patient; each with their own voice and wildly opposite behaviours works much better hearing it than seeing it. The Session builds in intensity just as the film does and leaves its final 'person' in the tapes just as all the horror in the film is revealed. The film also plays on the sanity of the people there. Are they all losing their minds, does one person have a hidden agenda and what are some of them hiding? Obviously there are a few red herrings thrown in, though some people will see straight past them, but it certainly keeps you watching. The horror is really a slow build up. This is a slow paced film and intentionally so it wants to creep up on you slowly, just like the way it's creeping into the minds of the people there. Also, while it doesn't use visual horror in the normal sense, it does use imagery well thanks to its location and directional style that adds to the mix of horror to create an altogether atmospheric film.

The film isn't let down in the acting department. These aren't a group of fresh faced, good looking and low-on-talent teens but seasoned actors. Mullan plays his role very well. You know there's something lurking underneath his normally calm exterior and you can see the place getting to him as he swings from extreme paranoia and misery to his usual placid self. Caruso is similarly strong, though his character is opposite to Mullan's, they do have similar straits but he plays it a bit more coolly than Mullan. Lucas is there just to be the usual cocky one of the bunch that people find annoying but can more or less put up with him and, again, he puts in a commendable effort as does Gavedon or the 'smart' one. The only real weak link is with Sexton. Not so much that he plays his role badly, he is as good as the rest of the cast, but he's not used as much as the others in terms of plot and also the way the asylum can change him.

As great as the film is there are a few drawbacks. The end act seems to be over before it really gets started, seemingly rushing towards the ending in case the film drags on too long. The ending is morbid and depressing enough, certainly better than the alternate one, but the build up is a small letdown. Also the 'revelation' you have from one of the workers isn't really that much of a surprise, the film may think it handled it subtly, and in a way it does, but for people who are used to these kind of movies you'll be able to spot what happened and what will happen fairly quickly.

Despite its faults, Session 9 remains a well crafted horror movie that people will appreciate if they have had their fill of dumb horrors. This flick will make you use your brain instead of sitting back and relaxing, not to everyone's taste but ultimately rewarding if you do deem to watch it. Good directing, admirable acting talent and a genuine creepy vibe makes Session 9 a stand out horror in these days when body count seems to be the only thing that matters.

SESSION 9 IS

Slow paced
Atmospheric
Unsettling at times

SESSION 9 IS NOT

Full of horny teens
Gore infested
For everyone