Louis Drax (Aiden Longworth) is a special nine year old. As he narrates his tale he's suffered numerous accidents in the few short years he's been on this planet. So much so that his mother tells him he's catlike and needs to be careful because he's nearing his ninth life. So when he plunges over a cliff early on in the film the odds of his surviving are slim. But survive he does.
Rushed to the hospital with his mother in tow and his father missing, Louis was underwater for some time after falling off the cliff into the sea. The combination of cold and lack of oxygen leaves him clinging for life. Eventually the doctors' call his death official and he is carted off to the morgue
where he wakes much to the consternation of the morgue attendant. Rushed back to surgery Louis is barely alive and in a coma.
Enter into the picture Dr. Allan Pascal (Jamie Dornan), a neurosurgeon who is fortunately nearby. He comes into the case trying to help Louis come out of his coma and to communicate. Placed in the wing he oversees filled with various coma patients Pascal and his staff talk to them, interact with them and try to ease them back.
Louis' mother Natalie (Sarah Gadon) refuses to leave the hospital until she can be with Louis. His father Peter (Aaron Paul) is still missing and considered on the run. Natalie has told the police that he pushed Louis off of the edge of the cliff.
The movie moves back and forth in time and space as we listen to Louis tell us about his life. Most of this is done in flashback as Louis talks to his therapist Dr. Perez (Oliver Platt). Bits and pieces of what was happening in his day to day world combined with his attitude towards life are revealed in these moments, peeled back like the layers of an onion but never quite telling us the whole story.
In addition to the tale of Louis that he is presenting us we have that of Dr. Pascal and Louis' mother Natalie. The married Pascal finds himself attracted to the young mother in need. This doesn't go unnoticed by the staff or by the police, still on the hunt for Peter Drax. Their story unfolds slowly as well offering us more of a question mark as to their potential future rather than a solid yes or no.
Eventually Pascal begins to suspect that Louis has been trying to use his brainwaves to communicate to him via his dreams. This leads to a hypnotic session involving Pascal and Perez that they hope will lead to the truth about what happened to young Louis and if he is indeed trying to communicate with them.
I know, this all sounds a bit weird. The fact is that it is weird but in a good way. While not identical I found myself thinking back to the movie DONNIE DARKO with the strange way the story is told but how it all makes sense in the end. That a movie can achieve this AND tell a solid story at the same time makes for one marvelous movie.
The movie itself looks fantastic but I would expect nothing less from director Alexandre Aja. I've long been a fan of his including past films like HORNS, MIRRORS and PIRANHA 3D. He has a great visual sense and a respect for fantasy I've only seen in director Guillermo del Toro. He puts that to great use here in this film.
The entire cast does a tremendous job here. Dornan plays Pascal low key which is what we need from the character. Gadon is the endangered waif of a woman that needs protected. But for me the standout was Aaron Paul. Having seen him for several years in BREAKING BAD it's nice to see him portray a character who may be nefarious but at the same time might be purely innocent.
On the whole I can't recommend this film enough. I was captured by the story from start to finish, never wanting to check the time stamp to see how much longer I had to sit through the movie. It's one that I know will take a space on my shelf of movies to revisit on occasion. It's also one I'm looking forward to discussing with others who get the chance to see it. It is a movie worth seeking out if not owning it outright.
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