The Lost Patient (2022) Movie Review

 

The Lost Patient (Original title: Le patient) | 2022 | 1h 32m
Genre: Drama/Mystery/Thriller | Country: France
Director: Christophe Charrier | Writers: Élodie Namer, Christophe Charrier, Timothé Le Boucher
Cast: Txomin Vergez, Clotilde Hesme, Rebecca Williams
IMDB: 5.3
My Rate: 7/10

Thomas awakens from a three-year coma with fragmented and hazy memories of a murder that killed his entire family and caused his sister's disappearance. With the help of Anna, his psychiatrist, he attempts to piece together these fragments to uncover hidden secrets.

Warning:

Contains scenes of violence, strong language, and suicide.

 

Synopsis:

A family is found dead by a child retrieving a ball in their yard. Thomas (Txomin Vergez), the family's son, is the sole survivor but remains unconscious—in a coma—for approximately three years.

Upon waking, Thomas has no memory of that night. Anna (Clotilde Hesme), his psychiatrist, helps him recall the events.  Thomas suddenly remembers Laura (Rebecca Williams), his sister, whose whereabouts are unknown.

Fragments of memory surface, revealing Thomas's relationship with his family: their treatment of him and Laura, his mother's affair, and a shadowy figure believed to be the actual killer. Thomas is haunted by apparitions of this shadowy figure in the hospital, attempting to kill him.

Thomas undergoes physical therapy, but the hospital nurses seem suspicious, hinting at a mystery that makes him wary. He becomes doubtful of the hospital staff and his psychiatrist.

Thomas feels everyone is manipulating him, leading them to believe Laura is the mysterious killer they seek, as no one has told him about Laura's whereabouts. The hospital also seems to limit his interaction with other patients.

Will the hidden mystery be revealed?

 
Review

The Lost Patient has a good and intriguing story idea, full of unpredictable twists, yet remains easy to follow. The systematic presentation allows viewers to understand the plot well.

The characters and their backgrounds are well-developed. The conflict builds slowly to a climax, and the resolution is also well-executed, with all mysteries gradually revealed.

The acting is quite good, especially Txomin Vergez as Thomas. We see significant changes in his expressions, reflecting his character's transformation.  Other supporting actors also perform well.

However, some aspects could be improved. For example, some supporting characters, such as the male nurse who seems to have personal animosity towards Thomas, are underdeveloped.

The nurse's presence might be intended to hint at a twist, but his attitude and hatred, particularly his audacity in reprimanding Anna—the psychiatrist—for wanting to treat Thomas, seem unreasonable. His position needs further clarification, as it seems to cross professional boundaries.  His relationship with Anna also needs further explanation

Anna's character as a psychiatrist is also somewhat unclear. Her treatment methods are not well-shown. Her dialogue is vague, as if she's hiding a mystery and repeatedly saying they don't have enough time, without clearly explaining the meaning, the reasons for this time constraint, etc.

The location of the stab wound that put Thomas in a coma for three years is not clearly explained. There's a scene where he shows a stab wound on his stomach, but it's unclear why a single stab wound would cause a coma.  This should be made clearer—perhaps showing severe bleeding in his initial state, or the stab wound being to the heart—to make the situation more believable.

Overall, the film is still quite engaging.  The plot is clear, and the resolution is good. The music and sound effects are appropriate. The camera movement, cinematography, and color composition are also well-executed.

Suitable for those who enjoy mystery thrillers with twists.

 

Memorable Scene:

His mother is looking through a photo album given by his sister.  Seeing the photos, Thomas realizes there are no pictures of him. He questions his mother about this with mixed and uncontrollable emotions.

This scene shows Thomas's frustration. As a family member, he questions his absence from his family's memories. A photo might seem unimportant to some, but it's important as validation of one's existence in someone's memory, especially in the memory of loved ones.

 

Memorable Dialogue:

"You're manipulating your memories."

 

Ending:

Twist Ending

 
Recommendation:

Worth to Watch

 

(Aluna)