Trauma

You ever see a film so terribly bad that once it's over, you immediately forget everything that transpired, almost completely scrubbing it from your memory? Years later, you hear these people online who discover it, claiming it's "as disturbing as a Serbian Film", and you think, "I HAVE to watch that!!", forgetting you had already seen it, hated it, and forgot all about it? Then you press play and you think, "Hmmm, this looks strangely familiar. I've seen this before, but maybe it was just a part used in the trailer...?" Then the actors start delivering their lines with all of the aplomb of a High School play, and you start to think to you yourself, "Wait a minute, did I see this?". Then when it finally hits you that you DID this trash and you sadly pick up the remote, press stop, and hang your head in shame for having wasted 20 minutes of your life doing all of this, 20 minutes you will NEVER, EVER get back?

No? So it's just me then?

I hate when a movie is a movie for the sake of there being a movie. This is a prime example. Quite literally, if you take an absolutely reasonable person and you put them in the situation we find at about 15 minutes into this movie, you would find that the reasonable person is changing their plans immediately. No question AT ALL. So the fact that these idiots DON'T change their plans is just unbelievable. The entire point of movies like this one is that it should terrify you that this is plausible, in the real world - in other words, it could happen to you. No chance of that happening though because I'm quite reasonable. Honestly, if you want to watch it because of reviews stating it is brutal and that is your thing - sheer brutality - then watch it. If you're more like me where brutality is part of telling a great story, then you're going to be hating the time you've lost watching this.

Senseles violence, rape, torture. ... no rhyme or reason. Where is the plot? A movie like A Serbian Film does a better job telling this sort of messed up story. I had to turn this film off because I got tired of hearing the same screaming over and over and over.

Some other reviewers like to talk bad about anyone who enjoys these types of movies, such as A Serbian Film. But the truth is that there is a market for this type of art, if done correctly. This movie failed at bringing together a solid story.

Although clearly intended to shock audiences with gore and taboo themes, 'Trauma' (2017) also addresses the marks left by Augusto Pinochet's dictatorship on Chilean society between 1973 and 1990, tackling the topic with considerable violence and becoming one of the most brutal productions from its native country.

Despite the sometimes robotic performances of the main cast, the film succeeds in developing Juan, the disturbing antagonist, and Catalina Martin as Andrea. The use of digital effects in certain gore scenes removes some of the impact of the violence. 'Trauma' was not developed for a wide audience, making it an ideal experience for lovers of extreme cinema.

How do you rate and or review a movie like this? Not easy to say the least - on the other hand, if you make it through the opening of the movie ... well there is one other scene, that starts off as a party scene, but does totally get horrible once some unexpected guests arrive.

The movie does try to shock and mostly succeeds I would say. Forceful sex is one (terrible) thing, but the start of the movie adds another layer to it (no pun intended). So this is clearly exploitation - you have to know that, accept it for what it is or do not watch at all.

What can be said about it: it does look good. Disgusting things happen, but they are filmed in quite the amazing way. But while you have to decide if you are triggered and/or squeamish when it comes to movies like this one right here, it does never reach the potential of Serbian Film. That had some other levels to it - the war, the society and that dreamworld like craziness. Also the soundtrack was just great. Can't really be said here.

Still the movie will tickle the right things for you - if you know what those are. Not really up my alley - no pun intended, no matter how well it is made technically speaking and the acting isn't too shabby either. Plus nice blood and other effects.