Stuck (2007)

I noticed Stuck when it was first released, but was a little put off by the subject matter; mostly because I knew it was based on a real story. A couple of years before the release of this movie, I heard an item on the radio about a woman who had struck a pedestrian, the pedestrian had become embedded in her windshield, and, rather than seeking assistance, she had driven home and parked her car in the garage, with the poor bastard still stuck in her windscreen. He died a few days later, and she only ran into trouble when she called on her friends to help dispose of the boy... It was noted that, had she sought medical assistance for her victim, he may well have survived. Instead, her fear of punishment created a situation which was much worse than it might have been if she'd faced her circumstances and done what she could have from the start.

On top of the horrific nature of the real-life events of this story, the fact that Stuart Gordon was the director put me off even more; not because I don't like Stuart Gordon, but because I know him well enough to be well aware of just how horrific his work can be. Re-Animator is one of my all-time favourite films, and yet again Gordon proves that he can handle any theme with style. As with so many other masters of horror, the closer he gets to filming reality, the more horrific it gets!

The film takes some detours from reality; it never claims to be accurate, just "based on real events", which allows for a much more cinematic experience than the original story would have entailed. Mena Suvari (who also has a production credit) is suitably hapless as the nurses aide, stoned off her tits, who hits Stephen Rea on her way home from a nightclub. Her complete lack of any empathy for her victim, who we see as being just some poor guy who has found himself at the receiving end of a terrible run of bad luck, is simply astonishing. Of course, it is even harder to stomach her behaviour when you know it is probably a fairly accurate representation of the real-life driver.

Again and again we are confronted with the sheer heartlessness of the main character, while at the same time cheering on the "bum" who she dismisses as not being worth the trouble "he" has caused her! Overall, I was really impressed with this harrowing, and depressingly accurate, portrayal of inhumanity. I'd recommend it to anyone who can stomach a little gruesomeness. Definitely one of Gordon's best.