Cortex

French/105 Minutes/2008/Not Rated

The French thriller “Cortex” has an interesting concept that could have turned into a gimmick but thankfully delivers a crisp whodunit instead. In “Cortex,” Charles Boyer (named like the film actor from the 50s) is a retired police detective that is suffering from Alzheimer's. He is no longer able to live by himself and his son and he have agreed that he needs to enter a retirement home.

Boyer (Andre Dussollier) is a widower who is slowly losing control of his memory and faculties due to the disease. When he arrives at “La Residence” he finds that patients are dying from mysterious circumstances. He suspects there may be a murderer loose in La Residence. The question is can he overcome the growing instability of his own memory to find the murderer in time?

Directed by Nicholas Boukhrief, “Cortex” teases us. Are there really murders occuring or has Boyer become paranoid? Who could the murderer be and why would they kill? The storytelling is handled in a fairly straightforward manner as Boyer sneaks around the hospital trying to gather evidence. What makes the film unique is that we are unsure if we are seeing Boyer from the inside or the outside. We rarely leave his perspective in a shot and when we do he is either entering or leaving the scene. The viewer is thus left to question if perhaps there are no murders or that Boyer may be the killer himself.

His condition is used to great effect narratively. In one scene he desperately scrawls notes in a little notebook he keeps only to look down and see that he has written notes on top of notes leaving an almost indecipherable scrawl. Even when he discovers who the killer is and writes it down, he forgets again leaving his note in a place he has forgotten. In another scene at the beginning of the film he reaches into his desk to get his pistol. He finds the paper it was wrapped in and the pistol in the waste can.

Of course no one believes Charles accusations and he constantly has to trick the hospital staff, particularly with faking taking his medication. In these scenes I found the film to be a little less realistic. Anyone who has been in a hospital like that will tell you that nurses know how to check and see if you have taken your medication. Also being able to hide a gun would be a difficult task. How he finally determines the solution feels a bit contrived but allows the viewer some extra suspense. Finally I don't believe that a real hospital or retirement home would have corridors that were unwatched.

Those criticisms aside the film is well acted and well written. It uses its plot conceit (Alzheimer's patient solves logic puzzle) to the full dramatic effect without feeling exploitative. This is an easy recommend for people who like brain puzzles. A classic whodunit with a great twist.

Not Rated: Mature Audiences, contains Some Language and a Scene of Violence