A Cure for Wellness

“A Cure for Wellness” opens with a man drinking water and dying instantly of a heart attack. We then see Mr. Lockhart (Dane DeHaan) on a plane. He has closed a major deal with acts of unspecified fraudulent activity. He works for a large financial services company and is called to meet with the executive board, where he learns that the CEO, Roland Pembroke, has written an odd letter saying that he has a sickness, and he is going to a sanitarium (the Volmer Institute) in Switzerland to be cared for and cured. He requested not to be contacted. The board members blackmail Lockhart to go to Switzerland and bring Pembroke back to New York City.

Upon arrival, Lockhart gets an uneasy feeling about the sanitarium staff. They are unwilling to cooperate and provide Pembroke to him. He is told to come back several hours later. Lockhart leaves, and, on his departure, has a horrible car crash where he breaks his leg. He wakes up in the sanitarium, where they implore him to drink the water and get rest. When Lockhart drinks the liquid, he discovers a small parasitic creature in the glass. Now Lockhart is on a mission to discover what’s really going on at this sanitarium.

The acting is pretty spot-on with Lockhart’s character. He seems believable, and I felt some sympathy for him, especially because of personal issues that we discover have plagued him. Jason Isaacs plays Dr. Heinreich Volmer, his acting is quite impressive as the main antagonist. The film is actually filmed in Switzerland in a beautiful castle setting, but is set against a very dark, depressing and uneasy storyline. The plot is difficult to follow, but can be figured out by watching very closely.

Unfortunately, there is far too much objectionable content. The film delves into the depravity of man and shows it vividly on screen. It deals with incest and graphically shows a brutal attempted rape. The swearing and blasphemy is frequent, gratuitous and graphic. There is nudity throughout, full frontal female—and male.

This film deals with a sickness that is not really defined, as rich men and women are desperate for a cure. They do not feel fulfilled by success. They feel bogged down by the everyday grind of business. Success and wealth leave them feeling terribly empty. This is paramount to what Christians understand when it comes to our relationship with Jesus Christ. Nothing on this Earth will bring you happiness, except a right relationship with your Creator. You can have all the money in the world. You can have success, fame and fortune, but, without Christ, you’re truly unwell. The sickness is sin—our inner evil thoughts and sinful words and deeds. The only cure is the bloodshed of Christ Jesus, a free, undeserved gift, paying the penalty for our evil. There is only one way for a person to be saved and be made whole, and that is through Jesus Christ—repentance, reading God’s Word, following what it says and telling others about the forgiveness available in redemption through Christ.

Stay far away from this very unpleasant movie. There is so much vivid, gratuitous content that you will likely leave the theater feeling ill. Although there are beautiful cinematic views of the Swiss Alps and a castle, most of the content is sickening—going above and beyond in depicting depraved characters. Nothing can salvage this film for Christian viewing.

Violence: Extreme / Profanity: Very Heavy—Jesus Christ, My G*d, Oh J*sus, For Chr*sts sakes, h*ll (4), f-words (10+), a** (2), p*ssy, d*ck, t*ts / Sex/Nudity: Extreme

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.