AMNESIA: THE JAMES BRIGHTON ENIGMA - DVD review

It should be noted at the outset that "Amnesia: The James Brighton Enigma" does not conclude with the natural resolution the story seems designed for. Whether that helps or hurts the narrative is up to the individual viewer, but the logical payoff suggests the man who claims to be James Brighton finds out the truth about his life. That never happens, leaving the preceding 90 minutes something of an enigma itself. What, exactly, happed to this man before he woke up naked in Montreal?

When this man wakes up, he has no knowledge of how he crossed the border or where he's from. The only thing he seems sure of-during hypnotherapy-is that he's gay. A single piece of paper is found in his pocket with the word "Morristown" scrawled on it, along with a phone number. Then a name rings a bell: James Brighton. Is this his real name or another memory coming to the surface?

There are competing theories and images on screen which can lead to the audience drawing their own conclusions about the main character, whatever name you want to give him. Is he the victim of an exorcism of sorts, performed by his minister brother? A gay bashing, as seen late in the film? Did he simply run away from home after a bad break-up? The problem is James never finds out-nor does he want to by the end of the film-leaving the audience in a lurch. We're supposed to have emotional investment in his story arc, yet there is no payoff at the end.

Imagine "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" ending as the Genesis planet blows up and there are no follow up films. Does everything Kirk and crew have gone through pay off? Everyone involved with this film need to know on a very basic level what the outcome is. Saying the amnesiac doesn't care anymore is a cop out even though it may be true (the film is inspired by true events).

But lets forge ahead since harping on the finale could be a lengthy process. Even in the first reel, there are simple logical problems with what is presented on screen. For instance-quite noticeably-when the nude stranger is brought to the hospital, no one thinks to takes his fingerprints immediately and run them against all known databases. No one in Montreal sees the Morristown paper and thinks there may be more than one in the United States? (New Jersey is the one which comes to mind for law enforcement…weird.) And no one tries to call the phone number on that paper with the idea it might lead to clues?

It's incompetent police work at the very least and gross misconduct at the worst. When these seemingly standard things are the details which catch the viewers attention, it's a tell tale sign something is not working story wise. And what would that be? The way the story jumps forward in time, never letting us really understand James. We can identify with his wanting to find out who he is-not having a history is a scary thought-but not with everything else that happens. He is referred to a gay help group in Montreal, who then places him with a roommate. Later on, James is arrested with no thought by the story afterward as to what that means. In essence, that plot point is dropped for no good reason.

And that's the most maddening thing about "The James Brighton Enigma"-there is a solid, emotional story about a man trying to figure out who he is buried underneath layers of gunk which doesn't mean anything. There's a subplot with a PhD candidate working on James' case which leads nowhere. A medical technician inexplicably becomes one of his best friends. Characters drop in and out of the picture without a care. It's all very muddled with the actors doing their best to find a way through the muck and into the light.

If the idea is to confuse the audience as much as James is confused, the story by director Denis Langolis excels beyond his wildest imagination. When James is reunited with his brother, we're taken to a memory which seems simultaneously like an obvious explanation for the amnesia and something out of science fiction. At that point, I sat up and said it all made sense. Then, it turns out, this event may or may not have taken place and instead been something James saw but not experienced. It's disorienting not to know what to trust and where to turn, especially with something as important as memory.

It is a matter of perspective, then if the issues with the story I've noted are actually problems or are purposely designed to put us in James' shoes. The saving grave of "Memento" was that we retained a knowledge of what the things previously on screen so we could make a story out of it. Here, the audience is in the same boat as James, which is either a deadly mistake or an inspired filmmaking choice. I'm not sure which.

At the risk of spoiling the finale of the film, here's the most logical-at least based on the available information-conclusion: everything James remembers actually happened. The events we're told about but never see (a divorce and a break-up) happened, too. The dissolution of his homosexual relationship led James back home, where he was berated by his brother and subjected to the exorcism. Then, he ran away, only to meet the real James, fall in love and be bashed by hitchhikers. They proceeded to Montreal, where James-really Matthew-was left for dead.

The coda, at least, justifies part of the storyline. Then again, James brushing off his new boyfriend in a mall could be an issue of not being comfortable with public displays of affection and not with what happened in the past.

VIDEO:
Surprisingly, the 1.77:1 anamorphic transfer looks very good compared to what I expected. The film is bathed, more or less, in cold hues, suggesting the view with which James/Matthew sees the world. What comes across on screen is appropriately chilly and uninviting. That choice is rendered beautifully with no real problems to speak of. Some of the flashback sequences are bathed in grain, which is appropriate, while one fantasy shot late in the film looks overexposed, also appropriate. Video issues normally associated with lower budget films (especially foreign films-this one was made in Canada) are non existent.

AUDIO:
The most intriguing thing about this 5.1 digital track is its bilingual nature. Taking place in Montreal, the dialogue flows easily from French to English and back again without so much as a problem from the audio aspect of the movie. More than that, it conveys the little sounds we'd take for granted. The sound of a marker on paper, for instance, in an otherwise quiet room. Or the bombast which greets James upon stepping into church. By and large, though, "Amnesia" is a quiet film, one which allows the dialogue to do most of the work. There are English subtitles available for the French language portions of the film and an English for the hearing impaired track, which subtitles all the dialogue.

EXTRAS:
Not a whole lot here, sadly. A group of seven automatically advancing images and three trailers: "Amnesia" (2:48); "Rock Haven" (1:46); and "Boy Culture" (1:47). One note-the trailer for this movie is extremely loud, as was the preview for "Rock Haven" on that disc. There is a world of information about amnesia and the real life story which inspired this one which could have been added as bonus content. Where is it?

PARTING THOUGHTS:
The more I think about it, the more I can justify leaving out or being "creative" with aspects of the story I've commented on. The daily, mundane activities aren't of consequence; instead, the life changing events are worth noting. Dusan Dukic as James/Matthew more than holds his own, conveying an almost childlike sense of wonder at the world around him. The others actors aren't on screen nearly long enough for us to get any grasp of what they bring to the movie. "Amnesia" barely slides into recommended territory with caveats, all of which are in the details. Create a world we believe is real instead of one you insist is real. Actions, as the saying goes, speak louder than words.