While scrolling on TikTok, I came across a video that highlighted three of Netflix's best thriller films. So, to be sure other people could relate to it being good, I looked through the comments and one of them, Fractured was being overly hyped up. Without hesitation, I went in search of it, with high hopes of being completely stunned when the credits rolled but the reverse was the case.
Synopsis
Directed by Brad Anderson, the story follows Ray Monroe (Sam Worthington), a man traveling with his wife, Joanne (Lily Rabe), and their young daughter, Peri (Lucy Capri). After a stop at a gas station, Peri accidentally falls and injures her arm. Desperate to get her medical attention, Ray rushes to a nearby hospital. Joanne and Peri are taken in for treatment while Ray waits in the hospital lobby.
However, when he wakes up from a short nap, and asks to see his wife and daughter, he is told that the hospital has no record of his wife and daughter ever being there. The staff insists they were never admitted, and Ray’s growing panic turns into a frantic search for the truth. As he digs deeper, he starts to question whether there’s a sinister conspiracy at play or if his own mind is betraying him.
Review & Personal Criticism
First things first, psychological thrillers have a way of pulling the rug out from under the audience, keeping us second guessing everything we see.
Objectively, this guy actually takes you on a tense, paranoia-driven ride that questions reality itself. With an eerie atmosphere and a plot filled with psychological twists, I was kept on edge, but does it fully deliver?
It thrives on its suspenseful atmosphere alright, building paranoia scene by scene. Sam actually delivers a strong performance as a desperate father unraveling at the seams. His portrayal of Ray is raw and emotional, making us feel his frustration and fear as the mystery deepens.
It also does a great job of placing the audience in Ray’s shoes. I mean I also doubted everything I saw. The hospital setting is cold and unwelcoming, adding to the unease. The cinematography effectively plays with light and shadows, which emphasizes the claustrophobic and nightmarish feel of the story.
However, while the tension is well-crafted, the film was actually vague while also relying heavily on familiar psychological thriller tropes.
Objectively, the weak point of this film lies in its ambiguity. I wasn’t really satisfied with the ending. Infact I felt stupid because what were those twists for? They should have stuck to one narrative so one can have a better understanding of what the hell was going on but nope, the director thought it was okay for the film to be annoyingly vague. It would have been satisfying to know if Ray really murdered his wife and daughter as the psychiatrist assumed or his mind wasn’t actually playing tricks on him and it was the hospital that actually hid them away to get their organs. Making me rack my brain around what really happened spoiled the film for me. It ruined everything. Plus it would have made sense if it was made clear that Ray was suffering from mental disorder because obviously he was acting like one. His vision and thoughts were always distorted and it just didn’t make sense that this little information about his character was left out.
Another weak point is the pacing. The first half of the film managed to build suspense brilliantly, but lost it completely in the second half as it became clear where the story was headed. A few scenes feel repetitive, stretching out the mystery longer than necessary.
It would have been a very engaging psychological thriller if not for its lack of meaning. It does keep you questioning reality but it would have been great if it also supplied answers to those questions.
Rating? It doesn’t fully break new ground in the thriller genre so I’ll leave it at 3/5.
Do I highly recommend it? No!