Stay (2005/I)

Director: Marc Forster

Cast: Ewan McGregor as Dr. Sam Foster, Ryan Gosling as Henry Letham, Kate Burton as Mrs. Letham, Naomi Watts as Lila Culpepper, Elizabeth Reaser as Athena, Bob Hoskins as Dr. Leon Patterson, Janeane Garofalo as Dr. Beth Levy, B.D. Wong as Dr. Ren, John Tormey as Custodian / Piano Mover #1, José Ramón Rosario as Cabbie / Piano Mover #2 (as José Ramon Rosario), Becky Ann Baker as Paramedic #1 / Butch Cook, Lisa Kron as Paramedic #2, Gregory Mitchell as Dance Instructor, John Dominici as Boy / Young Henry, Jessica Hecht as Boy's Mother

After a car accident on a bridge, the psychiatrist Sam Foster (Ewan
McGregor) assumes the case of the survivor Henry Letham (Ryan Gosling),
who apparently torched and car and promises to commit suicide three
days later. Sam decides to investigate deeper what happened with Henry,
and feels that he is becoming detached from reality with his findings
about the case. He asks his girlfriend Lila Culpepper (Naomi Watts) to
help himself to stay lucid, while trying to solve the intriguing
situation of Henry.

I am a great fan of director Marc Foster, with his dramatic "Everything
Put Together" and "Monster's Ball", and the wonderful "Finding
Neverland". However, "Stay" is absolutely different from the foregoing
movies, being a kind of "Sixth Sense" or "Jacob's Ladder" with a David
Lynch style. The screenplay is very intriguing and challenging, with
weird situations, and there is a catch in the end with Sam Foster
vision when the truth is finally disclosed. The beautiful
cinematography gives the sensation of a dream, or nightmare, to the
viewer. This compelling film is attractive and deserves to be watched
more than once. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "A Passagem" ("The Passage")