Genre: Thriller

Directors:  James Franco and Pamela Romanowsky

Cast: James Franco, Allie Gallerni, Eric Roberts, Tim Blake Nelson, Josh Duhamel, Scott Haze, Lori Singer

Studio: Momentum Pictures

Runtime: 98 Minutes

Release Date: In theaters and VOD Friday, March 3, 2017* (check local listings)

Rated: R

Rating ★★★★★

It’s almost unbelievable how many films James Franco is involved in each year. Having already released the film In Dubious Battle, and now set to premiere his next directorial effort, The Disaster Artist, next month at South By Southwest, I’m hardly surprised he has yet another release between the two.

The Institute, which Franco co-directed with Pamela Romanowsky, takes place in 1893 Baltimore and follows Isabel Porter (Allie Gallerni), who is dealing with grief over the tragically unexpected death of her parents. Unable to deal with the loss, Isabel voluntarily checks herself into the Rosewood Institute where, after being subjected to increasingly bizarre and violent experiments by Dr. Cairn (Franco), she begins to suspect something far more sinister is at hand.

The set-up for The Institute had me excited. I love psychological thrillers and felt the setting, in the late 19th century, would make a great backdrop for the twisted tale. Does The Institute succeed in delivering a creepy film? Yes, but to varying degrees.

James Franco and Allie Gallerni Star in The Institute

The Institute exceeds in building tension. The film’s slow-burn approach, by building the suspense and giving you bits and pieces of what the institution has planned for its patients, taunts viewers. You constantly question what’s going on and The Institute succeeds in enticing you to continue watching to find out what happens. But when the credits begin to roll and you reflect on what you saw, most of the flaws start to become more apparent.

The most baffling aspect of The Institute’s set-up is how Isabel never questions anything. Even before she’s subjected to experiments, some of the things she sees at the institution should start raising some red flags. There is one moment where Isabel sees a surgeon performing an operation on a live pig while lamenting how he wishes he had an actual human to work on. While scenes like this work in being disturbing, they serve no purpose outside of showing the viewer “look how evil this place is” and adds nothing to the plot of the main story.

Inconsistent editing bogs the film down. Scenes sort of begin and end at random times, making the film lack a cohesive flow. In some instances, this kind of sporadic start-end works when emphasizing Isabel’s mental deterioration but more often, the choppiness of the editing makes The Institute feel uneven.

Allie Gallerni as Isabel.

Franco and Romanowsky’s direction shines most with the quieter moments; for instance, in the scenes where the music fades away, it allows the tone of the moment to do the work. And the moments that focus on Dr. Cairn talking, using his words to mentally manipulate Isabel, are more effective in winding the tension rather than the more violent sequences.

Gallerni’s performance as Isabel is good, although not particularly memorable. Her ability to act frightened and deliver her lines with some small semblance of conviction does little to elevate her character further other than simply being a vessel to push the story along. We also never get a moment to watch her grieve for her parents so it’s hard to buy that she would check herself into a mental institution. Franco, however, delivers a subtle performance. While it would have been easy to play Dr. Cairn as a stereotypical maniacal psychiatrist, Franco instead opts for a quiet, more subdued performance, making the character appear more unsettling.

The screenplay by Adam Rager and Matt Rager is ultimately what brings the film down. The dialogue is a bit cheesy and deters from the The Institute’s disturbing subject matter. Characters feel underdeveloped while the plot seems to be unfocused at times. By the end of the movie, I was still confused by Rosewood Institute’s purpose. Despite its flaws, The Institute is enjoyable to watch if you like disturbing psychological thrillers and creepy imagery.

The Institute is in theaters and VOD Friday, March 3, 2017.

Photo: ©2016 Momentum Pictures. All Rights Reserved

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