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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Adapted from Liz Jensen's much-admired novel, this unusual drama sees the eponymous master Drax spending much of the film in a coma after falling off a cliff. With specialist medic Jamie Dornan and concerned mum Sarah Gadon at his hospital bedside, flashbacks take us through the boy's accident-prone life and somewhat turbulent backstory. Canadian youngster Aiden Longworth is a bright and engaging presence in the central role and Aaron Paul (of TV's Breaking Bad) is vividly effective as his errant father, which helps to carry you through an initially slow-building plot. There is lots to take on board before the sinister, slightly surreal whodunnit narrative really gets going and then it's delivered with hallucinatory intensity by director and horror specialist Alexandre Aja (Switchblade Romance, Mirrors). He milks the San Francisco setting for all it's worth with references to Hitchcock's Vertigo. It is an unlikely but ultimately absorbing tale, strongly performed, and with a genuine emotional undertow, not least because it sees screenwriter Max Minghella bring to fruition a project begun in 2004 by his late father Anthony.

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Credits

Cast

rolename
Dr Allan PascalJamie Dornan
Natalie DraxSarah Gadon
Louis DraxAiden Longworth
Peter DraxAaron Paul
Detective DaltonMolly Parker
Dr PerezOliver Platt
Dr JanekJulian Wadham
Violet DraxBarbara Hershey

Crew

rolename
DirectorAlexandre Aja

Details

Theatrical distributor
Soda
Released on
2016-09-02
Languages
English
Guidance
Swearing.
Available on
DVD
Formats
Colour
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