Stonehearst Asylum - Film Review

I've been meaning to pack some film reviews into my portfolio for some time but COVID-19 has sort of sapped my energy of watching movies since the outbreak hit. Hopefully, once theaters go back to opening up, this will become a more common occurrence. Despite all of that though, I just knew I had to do a review of this film when I heard about it as the premise just sounded too good to be true. 

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Where You Can Find It: I checked this one out on Netflix, where it is available for streaming and download.

General Information 
Stonehearst Asylum is a gothic thriller that was initially released on 24 October 2014. The film was directed by Brad Anderson as part of a joint production between Icon Productions and Sobini Films (Mel Gibson is one of the producers). Surprisingly enough, despite all of the English actors and setting, it is based off of the American short story "The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" by Edgar Allen Poe. Shortly prior to its release, the film was originally titled "Eliza Graves," which is the name of one of the main characters in the story. I thought that was particularly interesting as I found Kate Beckinsale's Eliza Graves to be the worst part of the movie, which makes me wonder if the producers saw that too and thus changed the name.

The Story
It's the year 1899 in England and Dr. Edward Newgate (played by Jim Sturgess) comes to Stonehearst Asylum to take up residency as an "Alienist" (more commonly known today as a psychiatrist) after graduating from Oxford University. Shortly after arriving, Dr. Newgate meets the superintendent, Dr. Silas Lamb (played by the legendary Sir Ben Kingsley) who shows the young doctor that his asylum practices a new methodology behind treating its patients. Instead of doping and restraining the patients, Dr. Lamb's staff actively engage the patients' delusions. Although Dr. Newgate is intrigued, Stonehearst Asylum holds a dark secret within its halls and not everything is what it seems to be as he gets to know the patients and staff. A major twist reveals itself at about the thirty-minute mark, however there is more than one major twist in the film, which really helped make this movie stand out.

To me personally, this movie reminded me of Martin Scorsese's Shutter Island in that there's a mystery surrounding an institute, however Stonehearst Asylum takes numerous turns that Shutter Island did not. Of course, the use of Ben Kingsley as a superintendent in both films also helps (in fact, one could almost argue that Kingsley plays nearly the same role in both of these movies). If you liked Shutter Island, you'll likely also enjoy this one, although it's fair to say that Shutter Island is clearly superior to this film. 

Special Effects/Atmosphere
Stonehearst Asylum is depicted during the final days of the 1800's and I found myself really liking the set design. Whereas Shutter Island was incredibly dark and foreboding, Stonehearst Asylum is fairly well-lit and very busy (especially in its backgrounds), however this is clearly by design. As in how the characters are portrayed throughout the film, the set equally presents a dignified-yet-slightly-peculiar air that leaves the viewer wondering if there's something going on beyond the top layer.

Although I'm not sure if this commentary should go under "Acting," I wanted to point out that the extras and bit actors in this film were probably one of the best aspects of the film. In most scenes, numerous patients can be seen doing their own thing in the background and it's pretty interesting just seeing what they're up to. I specifically recall one part during a serious conversation between Dr. Newgate and Eliza Graves that there was a guy standing in the background with a baton conducting the music coming from a gramophone.

The Acting
I'd wager to say that Ben Kingsley damn near carries this film from beginning to end. In fact, when Kingsley isn't on the screen, the movie typically starts to show its numerous flaws. Despite top billing, it seems that the awesome cast was just not utilized properly. Kate Beckinsale's Eliza Graves is the worst of the lot as her character lacks any real depth. In the first scene, we see her subjected to incredibly undignified treatment at the hands of an instructor at Oxford (played by Brendan Gleeson, a personal favorite of mine) in front of a group of male students, however we never learn much about her beyond the fact that she's terrified of her wife-beating husband. By the end of the film, Graves can be summed up as a pretty face that freezes up when grabbed. The worst aspect of her character is revealed at the end of the movie when she essentially declares that she will not be treated like a possession or damsel, but then immediately embraces the concept to the same person she lectured that stance to.

Sir Michael Caine appears in this movie but he's frequently shunted to the side despite the excellent chemistry between him and Kingsley. I was disappointed there weren't more scenes with those two together as I think that could've really helped as well. David Thewlis adequately plays a menacing grounds keeper too, however I feel like his character was restrained by the PG-13 rating. I certainly wondered how this movie might have turned out if the director could've gone all out and let Thewlis get down with his bad self.

The Best of the Best: Watching a bearded man who thinks he's a horse eat apple slices out of Ben Kingsley's hand.

The Worst of the Worst: As wonderful as Kate Beckinsale is, I think if her character had been completely cut from the film it probably would've been better off.

Calhooey Score: 5/10 - Average

Would I Recommend?
Running at just under two hours, this is a nice little thriller that I would recommend to anyone that likes a good mystery. Unfortunately, I feel that this movie failed to live up to its potential. It had excellent atmosphere and an ensemble of incredible actors, however it seems as though much of this was squandered with a story that couldn't quite figure out what it wanted to be.

-------------------------------------------------Spoiler Comments-----------------------------------------------------

• The revelation that the asylum has been overtaken by the patients was unfortunately ruined for me, however this particular twist wasn't as climactic as I thought it would be as it's revealed fairly early on. David Thewlis's costume design sort of gave him away as he looked crazy as soon as he strolled into the frame.
• I find it funny that Ben Kingsley played an asylum superintendent in Shutter Island that indulged the protagonist's delusions to avoid lobotomizing him; and then in this movie he plays a delusional superintendent who actively tries to lobotomize the protagonist.
• I loved that this movie didn't contrast as Dr. Lamb and Dr. Salt in terms of black and white. Dr. Lamb was clearly mad, however some of the practices he encouraged were clearly more humanitarian (and likely more therapeutic) than Dr. Salt's methods. It's pretty clear that if Dr. Newgate had somehow retaken the asylum back and handed it back to Dr. Salt, the ending would've been pretty depressing.
• I knew something was up with Dr. Newgate as soon as he started getting all dreamy-eyed with Graves! I figured either his obsession with Graves had some deeper meaning or the director grasped the concepts of love and courtship about as well as George Lucas did in Star Wars: Attack of the Clones.
• Despite that, I can't forgive Graves running off with someone who became obsessed with her after merely seeing her for a matter of a few minutes in a lecture by the real Dr. Newgate.
• Apparently the lunatic asylums in Italy are all very classy with outdoor pianos and garden dancing...

----------------------------------------------------References--------------------------------------------------

*Amazon. (n.d.). Stonehearst Asylum film cover image. Retrieved from: https://www.amazon.com/-/es/Kate-Beckinsale/dp/B00N1JQ1IM.