Trauma (DVD)

...in dozens of movies previously Trauma was the first movie in which Asia Argento played a leading part. Here she plays a deeply disturbed young woman with bulimia called Aura. Things from her childhood have bothered her all her life, but she is unable to put her finger on exactly what it is. When her parents decide to hold a séance in their home, things come to a head; quite literally. During the gathering the house is plunged into darkness and Aura ...
...shifts in the case of Trauma it comes off looking a bit tacky. The worst example of this being a small boy chasing after a lizard, while it draws a bit of humour to the centre of the movie it seems very out of place, but in honesty for most of the movie any scene involving this boy seems out of place.

The film is all over the place, one minute you’re on the edge of your seat, the next your worried about how much longer the movie is ... more

Having starred in dozens of movies previously Trauma was the first movie in which Asia Argento played a leading part. Here she plays a deeply disturbed young woman with bulimia called Aura. Things from her childhood have bothered her all her life, but she is unable to put her finger on exactly what it is. When her parents decide to hold a séance in their home, things come to a head; quite literally. During the gathering the house is plunged into darkness and Aura sees her father running off into the night after an unknown figure. As Aura becomes involved in the chase she wanders into a thicket only to see a dead body and a dark figure holding the heads of both her parents in its hands.

Another first for this movie was that for the first time director Dario Argento had been allowed to legally film in America; and amazingly enough an American movie producer part funded this venture. Where as previously Argento had used well known cast in his movies, normally he could only achieve one key performer, and they were usually someone down on their laurels.

Argento assembled a pretty good cast Piper Laurie (who most will remember as Carrie’s mother in the movie Carrie, or the more refined will know here as Katherine Martell from Twin Peaks) stars Andriana Petrescu the mother of Aura. Falling Down, And Apocalypse Now star Frederic Forrest stars as Dr. Judd, Brad Dourif (chucky from the Childs Play movies) stars as a disreputable Doctor, soft porn actress Laura Johnson stars as Grace Harrington a vindictive news anchor, and at the time upcoming star James Russo (Once Upon A Time In America, Beverly Hills Cop) played Captain Travis. The secondary lead comes from little known actor Christopher Rydell and after seeing his performance here I’m not surprised he has remained little known.

The movie itself is a bit of a rollercoaster in respect of standards; despite the American look and feel there are some slips where the movie becomes profoundly Italian. At these points if the whole movie had been Italian it would not be noticed, but as the movie shifts in the case of Trauma it comes off looking a bit tacky. The worst example of this being a small boy chasing after a lizard, while it draws a bit of humour to the centre of the movie it seems very out of place, but in honesty for most of the movie any scene involving this boy seems out of place.

The film is all over the place, one minute you’re on the edge of your seat, the next your worried about how much longer the movie is going to go on. If you split the movie into quarters, then at the end of each quarter (forgetting the final one of course) there is a clear and obvious lull. During those quarters though things move at an alarming pace, so much so that you find it at times difficult to keep up, looking away or a distraction during these times could be fatal in respect of following the storyline.

The deaths are great fun, and typically Italian; as the killer moves round with an electric cheese-wire style device used for decapitating its victims. One particular scene in which the killer produces a hammer and bashes a nurse on the head is hysterical. The special effects vary from being phenomenal, to just plain awful, especially during a decapitation scene, delivered by a lift of all things.

Like all Argento movies, if you are clever enough you realise that right from the very start the murderer is clearly identified. However you have to have to be quick sighted, and be thinking on a different mental plane than normal. I find this style of movie making amazing, the fact that you are told the killer at the start but don’t actually take it in till the end. When you review the DVD it’s clear, but because you’re not expecting this sort of highly intelligent delivery it really throws you off.

The musical score is lovely, delivered by Pinno Donaggio. It ranges from beautiful themes, to savage lashes with guitar strings. The main theme that accompanies the movie known as Ruby Rain plays in a variety of forms, and is a really nice piece of music. However at the end you get a version of the track that features lyrics by a beautifully voiced performer, the lyrics though sounding lovely as a song; after listening to them a number of times you realise the song is about someone bleeding to death in the rain, calling out for help, but help never comes.

Trauma is a great movie; it has a lot of quirky things about it, but is no way near being either Argento’s finest. It has no special features but retails for around £3.99 pretty much everywhere. 

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