A Cure for Wellness is a 2017 psychological thriller directed by Gore Verbinski, the creative mind behind famous films such as The Ring and Pirates of the Caribbean.

A Cure for Wellness starts with a young Wall Street stockbroker named Lockhart, who sent to find his company’s CEO, Pembroke, after he disappears to a mysterious “wellness center” in the Swiss Alps. 

The center, referred to by Lockhart as a sanitarium, claims to be curing its patients with miraculous hydrotherapy treatments–but what they’re being “cured” of is uncertain. After a nasty (and graphic) car accident, Lockhart wakes up in the sanitarium with a broken leg, and the spa director Dr. Volmer persuades him to rest there for a short period while he recovers. Lockhart agrees, figuring that he can use this time to convince Pembroke to come back to New York. But the longer Lockhart stays, the more he realizes that the spa’s treatments may not be as miraculous or harmless as they seem, and that this center dedicated to “wellness” harbors a dark secret.

Not gonna lie, this movie freaked me out. It was about two hours of me squirming in my seat and occasionally hiding my eyes–it’s graphic, dark, and confusing. As far as horror movies go, it’s definitely one of the better ones I’ve seen in recent years. But know that this film is not for those with a light stomach–the few moments I spent looking away were not because I was scared, but because there was something on the screen that I did not want to see. If you like feeling confused or uncomfortable, this one is for you. But if you don’t do well with complicated plots and in-your-face-gore, then you might want to stay away.

That being said, I would watch it again if I was in the mood for this type of thriller. It had a lot of good symbolism, and forces you to wonder about what might be happening. In fact, it never really fully explains everything, and while some people don’t like that, I personally enjoy having to infer about what’s really going on. It gives the viewer the ability to see it differently than the person sitting next to them.

The only reason I only gave this movie 3 out of 5 was because the ending left me dissatisfied. It contradicted a lot of what happened in the film, and honestly confused me more than any other part of the movie. If the ending had been better this definitely would’ve earned another shield.

All in all, I would recommend this movie, but only to people who I know would enjoy it. If you’re going to see it you should be prepared to sit through it, because it’s kind of a wild ride.

By Lydia Berg