Chronic

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source: Chronic

This is a very downbeat, Cali-based film about a lonely home care nurse and his relationships to his very ill patients. The movie doesn't really go anywhere beyond his connections to these unfortunate souls. The writing is bland, the acting mediocre. The west coast setting actually is a distraction. This could and should've been a better cinematic experience had a more talented team been in charge.

The movie Chronic demands of its viewers to have something the protagonist has in abundance, patience. While this may not sound like the highest recommendation for a movie, but it is in this movie's case. Chronic is not an entertaining film in a sense that you have an anticipation to see the new Avengers or Star Wars movie. It has no action, fight scenes, sex, or drugs, just important questions the viewer is left with after the movie. At times I did feel like the movie had scenes that dragged on longer than necessary, the film has stayed with me. Chronic is about a hospice nurse named David (Tim Roth) who works with a variety of terminally ill patients. One of them is an elderly architect named John (Michael Cristofer), who recently suffered a stroke and is full of anger. The second is Martha (Robin Bartlett) a lonely older woman who is going through chemotherapy whose condition is getting worse each day. Each of these patients David treats as if they were his own family: bathing them, taking them to the bathroom, dressing them, preparing their medication, getting them ready for bed, and sitting in a chair near them in case they need anything in the middle of the night. Now describing the movie sounds like a depressing story and it is. The movie shows scenes that last minutes of David cleaning and dressing his patients that sometimes last minutes and you may question why the movie deems it necessary to continue filming the scenes this long. I believe it is trying to get the viewer use to how dependent the patient is to David and how patient he is with them. But if you do allow yourself to be patient with the scenes it will pay off in the end. I am intentionally leaving off most of the plot, because it is best going into the film with no idea of what will happen to the characters and their lives. The movie's strongest feature is the acting, specifically by Tim Roth. Roth has long been a talented character actor constantly evolving and transforming into his characters: whether it's the deviously evil royalty seeking Cunningham in Rob Roy, the tormented Vincent Van Gogh in Vincent & Theo, or the (only enjoyable part of Tim Burton's Planet of the Apes) man hating ape General Thade. Roth is always a delight, and, in this movie, he completely carries it. Throughout the scenes where he is cleaning patients that have soiled themselves, he displays patience, compassion, and devotion. It would be hard to watch a movie with this depressing content without a protagonist to root for and David is one you want to see happy because you see how much he cares about people. But we see that he is depressed and deeply troubled by an event in his past. I would go more into his backstory but discovering it is one of the joys the movie offers, as it allows you to piece it together without spoon-feeding it to you. This movie was awarded the prestigious honor of best screenplay at the Cannes Film Festival in 2015 to its writer/director Michael Franco. I find this a little strange, since the movie is filled with long takes of people doing ordinary tasks such as driving, exercising, cooking, or David doing one of his numerous duties for his patience that the movie is very thin on plot, but big on character. Chronic is definitely not a movie for everyone and some people maybe too off put by the down-beat story and overly long scenes, but for audience members eager to be left with questions, thoughts, and debates after a film along with a tour-de-force performance by Tim Roth will be strongly rewarded. Final Grade: B

This film has a European feel to it, taking a slow and methodical approach to unveiling both the story-line as well as the main character, David. At first I, too, was thinking "why are some parts so drawn out and slow" but then it dawned on me that these characteristics perfectly denote the life of the terminally ill, and ironically, David's life as he struggles with past issues. Don't expect a happy, Hollywood ending - how can that be when dealing with end of life issues? No, this film is gritty and real and as close to reality as one can get. Having filmed movies myself - especially filming difficult, emotional scenes, I stand in awe of the cinematographer's stamina and excellent positioning. Unlike most movies these days, where the camera has to be right on top of each and every scene, in a voyeuristic way, instead what we have is demonstrated decency to give privacy to that which should be private (no spoiler here; you will understand my words when you come to that particular scene). The portrayal of David, the main character, is spot on the mark. Throughout the film I wanted to jump into the frame and give him a long, loving hug. He stole my heart with his compassion while life showed precious little to him. Truly one of my all time favorites now. The kind of film that one can pull new meaning from each time they watch it. Deep and significant: my heart is still aching, woke up several times during the night to reflect on the scenes. Wish I could personally thank the writer, the director and cast. Bravo!

Chronic. Tim Roth loses himself in his role - as does the character he plays - a palliative care nurse. The antithesis of the usual Hollywoodisation of terminal illness. Almost unbearable to watch yet, at times, strangely uplifting and beautiful and human. A career best performance by Roth. A film that I think will and indeed should stay with you. 9 out of ten

What I write could be viewed as a spoiler, so be warned. Yes, this movie has very little action; in fact, it moves at a snail's pace. And yet, the story is a profoundly moving account of the work nurses do for the terminally ill. David is a male nurse who feels deeply for those who struggle with end-of-life issues. Out of his own sense of love, he does what he does, not some deep seated confusion. It is how he has learned to deal with last stage perplexities. How many of us would even venture into that world, for even a week, much less an entire career? Cleaning patients, dealing with their daily needs, and servicing them in whatever capacity they desire is comparable to the Make A Wish foundation. As more and more baby boomers advance in age, these realities will gain greater exposure and discussion regarding what options a terminally ill sufferer has will widen. This is the point of Tim Roth's marvelous portrayal, that, in the end, compassion must reach beyond the norm, to assist in an effort to end suffering. This compares greatly to Mother Teresa's focus on the needs of the dying. Her way, which may be a more godly way, is to be a servant and friend to those at death's door, remain with them until the last breath. Maybe sentiment will one day reach farther watching them slowly die.

Chronic stars Tim Roth and its the story of a nurse that takes care of multiple patients. I really liked this film. The cinematography in this film is one of the best I have ever seen. The way the camera moves and the long and eerie takes throughout the film really gave this film more realism. The color grading is perfect as well. The performances are great and the characters are magnificent. The storytelling in this film is phenomenal. You can tell what will happen (sometimes) and it can be predictable, but its the way its executed that really makes this film special. The direction is top notch and there are a lot of ballsy decisions made in the ending that literally made my jaw drop. There are some problems though. The pacing is really slow and there are a lot of unnecessary scenes. I understand that the director is trying to set up a mood, but it really makes this film really long, even though its only 1 hour and 30 minutes. The structure is also troubling since the first part is a completely different movie than the second and third part. Overall, this is a depressing, bleak, gloomy, great film that really makes you feel weak when the credits roll. 8.5/10

This is a very difficult film to watch for those who don't have any acquaintance at all with death and what it's like to lose a loved one to a terminal disease - However, it could prove to be cathartic to such a person and a way to really acquaint yourself with ALL that the people who care long term for our loved ones have to go through themselves while just simply "doing their daily job". David is a person who has lost someone incredibly important to him (his child) on his own and therefore is extremely well-acquainted with what a dying person suffers while going through that process. He thinks and truly considers each patient's perspectives and provides as much as he can possibly can to make them continue to still feel human (which is so incredibly humanistic and kind) -- even going to the point of providing what I can only presume was very "light" * for viewing by an adult male dying patient, and joking about how absolutely unwilling he would be to provide a hooker for the same man. Whoever?! said that we don't think about things that brought us pleasure in our healthier days when we are daily inching closer to the end of our time here on the planet? To go so far as to investigate as much as he can the same man's former life work just proves to me how much his patients mean to him. There are very few people who provide this type of care for the dying in the same kind of empathetic manner as David is able to do. Most folks just aren't built that way. They may be very good and efficient at their work, but it takes someone truly special to be able to connect in an the exemplary manner the way Tim Roth's character manages to make look easy. This is a perfect place to say to those out there who may have a loved one going through the true mental pain of leaving this earth to be brave and not forget to touch and care for your soon-to-depart loved one. Put lotion on them. Brush their hair. Show all the physical love that you can because they won't be here much longer for you to give it to them and thus make their transition easier for them and for YOU! Fabulous fare - the only film I can think of wherein a nurse is shown giving precisely the same kind of loving care to his terminal patient was with Jason Robards playing the patient in "Magnolia" with Phillip Seymour-Hoffman playing the nurse. That was honestly one of the best movies I've ever seen!

As a person who suffers from chronic pain, it brought to me a sense of compassion for David as he is clearly dedicated to his patients and that was very touching. I felt that the movie moved brilliantly as it mirrored the lives of people who are sick, struggling and suffering. When you are ill with a sickness for long periods of time, life does move slowly for you. Days are much longer, harder to deal with as the hours tick by while you struggle for relief or an offering of help/compassion. You can also see that behind Davids eyes, he carries much grief and possibly guilt for his son, as you discover through the conversations that he shares throughout the movie. It is almost as if he is trying to redeem himself for his choices in the past, good or bad, that he seeks redemption. As for the ending, I was shocked as to how it played out. At first I thought it was by accident, but then I thought of Davids pain and guilt. I felt as if he could never truly forgive himself, given the prior conversations he had with others, and he felt that he could no longer live with that pain. I have always enjoyed Tim Roth and found his portrayal of David spot on.