The Mothman Prophecies

The Mothman Prophecies; fantasy thriller, USA, 2002; D: Mark Pellington, S: Richard Gere, Laura Linney, Will Patton, Debra Messing

Reporter John Klein lives peacefully in Washington with his wife Mary. But one day she has a car accident and in a routine control in the hospital, the doctors discover a tumor at her. Before her death, she draws a bunch of sketches about some creature called the "Mothman". 2 years later, John inexplicably got lost in the town Point Pleasant where strange things are happening: the inhabitants saw UFOs, the 12 foot tall Mothman and heard strange noises. Police officer Connie falls in love with John. They discover that the so called Mothman prophecies always happen before a disaster. And truly, a bridge collapses in the city, where many people die.

Richard Gere was often, without a reason, badmouthed by some critics who tried to glue him a negative reputation, yet here and there he would star in a small jewel. The small fantasy thriller "The Mothman Prophecies", based on the book with the same title written by John Kiel, assured itself at least 2 huge virtues: it has a brilliant visual style by director Mark Pellington which creates an elevated mood, and a rumour that it was based on real events that happened to Kiel in '67. Such a subtle build up of fear is endemic, especially in the creepy sequence where alien (?) Indrid phones Kiel and tells him he knows everything, even what he holds in his arm in the dark. The lack of focus is bothersome, the polished tone also but a little less, yet this cult film still creates a really interesting mystery piece.

Grade:++