Stay is one of those movies that will entangle the mind in both awe and confusion at the same time. Not only that, but I’m just having a hard time deciding whether to classify it as a mind-bending thriller or a thrilling mind-bender.

Sam Foster (Ewan McGregor) is psychiatrist, who has substituted in for a demented young man’s, strangely sick one. Henry Letham (Ryan Gosling) has just recently informed Sam that he plans to kill himself within the first few seconds of his twenty-first birthday. Henry is a striving young artist, following his hero who believes he was one of the greatest artists of all time.

Unfortunately, Sam soon learns that the artist’s ultimate masterpiece was his own suicide. As the story progresses and Sam learns more and more about Henry’s past, Henry turns very hostile. Sam must convince Henry to “stay” in the world of the living, and at the same time keep a distance for his own safety.

If you are one of those people who can’t sit and enjoy a movie because you don’t get it, don’t stay for “Stay” (or any of “The Matrix” films either). I sat there for the entire film, was pretty confused, but at the end felt completely satisfied with the final product, as well as conclusion. As you are watching the film, you think you are experiencing glitches in the film, though what you are experiencing are glitches between two worlds. Acting is perfectly on par, with Ewan McGregor’s desperate character as well as Ryan Gosling’s upset and demented.

Cinematographically, it almost feels like you are along for the ride in any situation. In the opening sequence you appear to be moving along the ground, but we are actually witnessing a runaway tire after a car accident. As well as a scene when we see Ewan McGregor rising out of bed and stretching his arms out in front of him and before we know it, the background has changed and he is now steering a bicycle.

Is there a plot to this film? I would say a majority of people would say absolutely not. I would disagree, it really all depends how you look at the film and whether you truly incorporate things from Henry’s past into a present tense. I think in order to create a complex film and/or complex mind in film; one must have a mind of great depth. Director Marc Forster, if we look at his previous films, which include “Finding Neverland,” as well as “Monster’s Ball.”

Forester is a fairly new director, but already he has directed two Oscar winning films. I have not seen “Monster’s Ball,” but I have see “Finding Neverland” (many times), and I can conclude that Forester put as much effort into “Neverland” as he did “Stay.”

So again we ask ourselves, “Was there a plot?” The answer is, “What do you consider a plot?” Is it two teenage idiots driving off of dirt piles in a car called The General Lee to stop Boss Hog? What about a film that can fake its own suicidal character and even presence to do the greater good of showing how complex the human mind really is? You tell me.

Rated R for language and some disturbing images. Running Time 99 minutes