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Gordon Fleming is tasked with removing asbestos panels from the ceiling of an asylum that has been abandoned for years. It seems like an easy job, but the matter becomes complicated when one of the workers finds some very disturbing hidden recordings within the facility. Everything seems to degenerate day by day, alternating work with new discoveries and the sudden disappearance of one of the five, until a shocking truth is uncovered...
It seems like a paranormal horror film, Anderson's movie (the director of "The Machinist") excels thanks to his skill in hiding the truth until the mysterious ending that turns the whole sense of the film upside down, a crazy and well-executed plot twist, but one that leaves a thousand questions and interpretations.
The atmosphere is extremely successful, perhaps the highest point of the movie. A gloomy and claustrophobic abandoned asylum, disturbing even in its "normality."
The "sessions," 9 recordings found by chance in the asylum's basement, are the film's strong point that will lead the story to its definitive conclusion, offering, as mentioned before, a reversal of the initial situation.
The actors are also very good, especially the two frenemies of the story, portrayed by David "YEEEEEEEEEE" Caruso and Peter Mullan a.k.a. "Mother Superior" (Trainspotting doesn't ring a bell?), two characters who gradually start to clash with each other, partly due to a love story gone bad with Gordon, but which he wants to keep secret, revealing it only to Phil.
The film is very engaging and flows really well. Unfortunately, it has become a mini-cult due to its lack of success and the complete absence of special effects. Brad Anderson demonstrated his capabilities already in 2001 with this little gem and perfected them with his masterpiece "The Machinist," which I absolutely recommend to you.
If you want an intense and well-made psychological horror-thriller, "Session 9" is for you. It doesn't lose pace and drags you to the ambiguous ending. Disturbing, but never excessive or in search of hackneyed clichés, genuinely just right. And if you've played Silent Hill, even better.
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By Hellring
The hospital will be the reference point of the film, a living stage for the various mental inclinations of the protagonists.
The director succeeded in creating a great film despite a minimal budget and the little publicity the film received.
