Let me introduce one of my all-time favourites and all-time biggest disagreements with critics - ‘Stay’. Bashed when it came out in 2005, it is only now getting its long-overdue praise. Arty, rich with layers and narratives, I found ‘Stay’ to be a touching, imaginative and visually compelling blend of drama and thriller.
Plot-wise it centres around a psychiatrist (McGregor) trying to help his suicidal patient(Gosling) while his own reality crumbles as the film shape shifts and enters an almost supernatural thriller territory. ‘Stay’ is layered with multiple dimensions of the narrative, subtle hints and intricacies of the plot.
Visually the movie is very satisfying, having a multitude of memorable frames and colour choices. It also has some imaginative (for its time) editing which, while can be vied by filmmakers as a bit cheesy, I found to be adding to the experience as ‘Stay’ feels like a work of visual art - flawed but breath-taking.
Thematically, it deals with death and loss but also art and human connection. While some tropes can be familiar drama/thriller moves, to me the film hasn’t lost its compelling edge and the plot twists were unexpected on the first watch.
Asa bonus, it’s great for re-watching as well - thanks to multiple narrative layers, knowing the plot you can uncover many small but smart hints and references.
