Review of The Mothman Prophecies (2002) by Filipeneto — 29 Mar 2021

I really like this film, where the terror is subtle and the tension builds up very well and remains almost until the end. It is a film that wins in being seen by audiences that do not know well what it is about. The more we read before seeing it, the more we spoil the feeling of tension and mystery that the film wants to build. The film is loosely based on a real accident on the Ohio River in the Sixties, and associates it with a series of appearances by a mysterious creature. Nowadays very forgotten, I think that this film was never truly valued for what it is.

The film starts with a couple, John and Mary Klein, happy with the purchase of a new house and with the prospect of a bright future ahead, being separated by tragedy: after a car accident, she discovers a brain tumor and dies, leaving the husband devastated by the pain and feeling that the wife saw something strange just before the accident. The mourning is associated with a series of strange events that take John to the quiet town of Point Pleasant where he quickly discovers that the same thing has been seen there, much to the bewilderment of the local police. He then decides to stay there and investigate the apparitions further.

The director, Mark Pellington, is skilled in the way he builds a growing environment of tension and mystery, involving and seductive. There are options that I didn't like very much, such as the bad and poorly developed romantic sub-plot between the protagonist and the sheriff, and also the very slight way in which the accident was addressed, with a change in the date and number of victims and the erroneous statement that the reason for that tragedy has not been determined. Others, however, were very intelligent, such as the fact that the creature never shows itself or clarifies what it may be, or if the protagonist is delusional at times. The division between reality and the dream is very tenuous and this is extraordinarily well-used. The last half hour of the film is a lot less interesting, but since the mystery is never solved and there are many questions that remain unanswered, there is material to endure the film until the end.

The cast is not the most interesting aspect of the film, but I think I can say that it fulfilled its role with a lot of professionalism and commitment. Richard Gere is a pleasant protagonist and one who is easy to like, and he gave dignity, seriousness and verisimilitude to the character. Laura Linney was also good and very effective, but she was not able to establish good romantic chemistry with Gere and the romantic interest of the characters never really convinces us. Will Patton is also a good actor, but he hasn't always convinced me, and he seems to be lost in the way he should act.

Technically, it is an intelligent film that takes advantage of cinematography to build the atmosphere of suspense and mystery: the camera and film work includes unusual framing perspectives, seen from above, as through the eyes of a bird that hovers over the characters or takes flight above them, and there are many night scenes, in gloomy rooms and misty days. The editing is smart and very good, and the sound effects are truly remarkable, in particular the noises, the strange sounds and the voice distortions. They are simple things, but they don't look bad, and they work wonderfully well. The soundtrack is effective, but discreet.