IMDB Rating: 4.6/10

Country: Canada

Spoken Languages: English

Genre(s): Thriller

Director: Dominic James

Cast: Emily Hampshire, Elias Koteas, John Pyper-Ferguson, Caterina Murino, Patricia McKenzie

Medium: Unknown

Plot Outline: Billionaire Robert moretti: Does fund raisers for the needy. Drugs andprostitutes as well.Mark Murdoch: Self-loathing, tired, alcoholic cop, under investigationfor a killing.Lisa Meridan: After the birth of her son, disappears from homeperiodically, chronic gambler.Dr. Diane Robinson: A woman of faith who has never gotten over thesickness and death of her child.Dr. Zach Emmet: Battling depression for accidentally over prescribingmedication and under investigation.Melody chambers: Drug-addicted prostitute, issues of rejection; beingunloved.The 6 people above have tried to commit suicide and are held captiveand forced to play a game of chance or fate using a die as it'sinstrument. The game is called "The Trials" wherein the captives areforced to use the method by which they tried to kill themselves againsttheir fellow captives along with a roll of a die to decide the severityof the method and the probability of survival. For example, if youtried to kill yourself with a gun then you are forced by your captor toroll the die to decide how many bullets should be loaded; after whichtime you would point it at your fellow captive and fire.There is a diversity of captives since the people are randomly selectedbased on opportunity. In other words, whoever tries to off themselvesunsuccessfully and are in the awareness of this madman are selected;imprisoned below in glass cages to experience The Trials wherein theyare offered --according to the madman-- "a chance to be reborn". I haveto concede, reluctantly, that there was a certain logic to his madness.These people, after all, wanted to --and attempted to-- killthemselves. So with his help they either had the opportunity to get itright this time, or live and "want to live" after being brought veryclose to death.One by one the principals are introduced at the top of the movie. Theygo missing. Detective Valenti (very attractive woman and accent) issuspicious of the circumstances when these people start turning up with"dots" on their wrists; some lucky to be alive, some not. Along withthe missing is her friend and mentor Mark Murdoch. The police chiefkeeps trying to dissuade her, telling her to go home. In essence, thatthere's nothing to these incidents and she's wasting her time and thedepartment's. She has strong instincts and doggedly pursues.This movie is not about elaborate ways to kill and torture anyone. Thevillain may be a nut of some variety but he's not a sadist. Indeed heeven comes across as sympathetic and understanding sometimes. So themethods used here are the everyday conventional methods that are usedby people everyday against themselves and others. Pointedly: the verymethods these unfortunate 6 used against themselves. Rather, this movieis about irony, choices, life and death. You must now use the method bywhich you tried to kill yourself against someone else. You now have asecond chance to die or live --what do you want? Will you cooperatewith your captor, or not? What choice do you have? Can you live withthe responsibility of being the instrument of another's death? Theseare some examples of these people's dilemma. The drama of the movie,tension of it, is all about this. The performances are so good byeveryone in this movie that you are definitely drawn in and absorbed.Well worth your time, I believe. Love Boloxxxi.

Location: VD9/Horror

Loaned: No