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★★★★
Directed by: Kami Sadraei
Written by: Kami Sadraei
Starring: Eric Roberts, Kami Sadraei
A psychotherapy session. A man is telling the therapist about his issues. But things are not what they seem.
The patient is a young man named Jake (Sadraei), who is getting therapy from Dr. Moore (Roberts). Jake is telling Moore about his past, his relationship with his parents and a traumatic event that has brought him to the devastating state he is now. The session ends with an unexpected conclusion.
This short story begins as an emotional drama about tragedy and loss and then turns into a thriller. It explores themes of grief, depression, trauma, family, hatred and revenge.
The entire film uses black-and-white cinematography, which looks stunning. The stylized opening sequence looks great and the score is beautiful and sentimental at first and later becomes powerful and dynamic.
The whole narrative takes place inside the therapist's office and the two leads are the only people in the film. Moore's workplace looks very professional, filled with expensive furniture and decorations. The doctor himself looks very professional in his clothing and Jake is smartly dressed.
Both protagonists deliver great performances. Sadraei is emotional as a man who is broken as a result of a terrible tragedy. As he sits on the couch, talking about his feelings and experiences, it becomes clear that he is going through a lot. And he is also fiddling with two balls in his hand that have the yin-yang symbol on them. Roberts manages to successfully portray a professional therapist, being very calm, asking questions when appropriate and taking notes.
This project clearly had a great deal of passion put into it. It is very well directed and written and uses effective lighting techniques. The twist is rather clever. As the audience learns more and more about Jake and pick up the clues, they begin to realize that this is something more than a therapy session. And by the time the film ends, they will fully understand his reasons for being there.
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