STAY

"Forgive me"

Taking over a patient from a colleague, psychiatrist Sam Foster (McGregor) takes on the treatment of Henry Letham (Gosling) but he is not prepared for the intensity of his new patient. In their first session he tells Sam that he is going to kill himself on his 21st birthday, that coming Saturday but as the psychiatrist tries to help him, he starts to realise that Henry might not be just suffering from depression and delusions. When Sam starts to suffer from the same delusions as Henry, he thinks that something might not be right.

Psychological dramas that twist and turn throughout are stalwart of the genre but can 'Stay' make you keep watching and guessing?

Acclaimed director Marc Foster, who brought us 'Monsters Ball' and 'Finding Neverland' changes direction again to bring us a psychological thriller that is as confusing as it is obvious. You have to applaud his decision to not stick to the genres that he knows and bringing David Benioff's, the writer of 'Troy' and '25th Hour', script to the screen but the film is just far too predictable for its own good.

As the film starts, anyone who knows these types of films will make an instant observation and draw a conclusion that will reveal the ending before the movie even gets going and they will be right. However many twists and turns the writer and director throw in, you know that they are going to end up at the extremely obvious conclusion. This takes away much of the enjoyment of the film and takes too much away from the amazing look of the movie and the good performances.

Set in New York, the Big Apple has never looked so different. As Sam and Henry's world becomes more and more dreamlike, the city becomes just as much of a character as the human players. Famous locations and buildings change as the film progresses, culminating is an amazingly visual reimagining of the Brooklyn Bridge.

The performances are also first rate. Ewan McGregor puts on his American accent again as psychiatrist Sam Foster, the main protagonist of the piece who gets drawn into Henry's delusions. Naomi Watts plays his girlfriend Lila, who is recovering from depression and a suicide. Bob Hoskins, Janeane Garofalo and Elizabeth Reaser have small but important roles. The exceptional Ryan Gosling steals the film however. As the troubled Henry Letham, he shows again why he is one of the most gifted actors of his generation and will go onto great things.

'Stay' is an exceptionally well-acted film that is visually stunning but it let down by the completely predictable plot and the obvious ending. This takes away so much from the film and all of the twists and turns just become meaningless and inconsequential as you know exactly what is going to happen. It is still worth watching however as there is much to enjoy.