Irishchatter I honestly thought that the two lovebirds were going to be together in the end! Seriously I thought it was just such a poor story that they involved on this movie! I mean, i didn't think she would fall to her death because like, she could've run away from the asylum and with her lover. This is really like Romeo and Juliet but with a different ballgame altogether!If i was the creator of this movie, i would have the ending turn out to be happily ever after and never mind being so dark. Its already dark already, a woman cheating on her husband with a patient who thought to have killed his wife. I am disappointed and tbh, this is the worst that Natasha Richardson has done in her film career while she was alive. I wish they gave this movie a better chance and a better storyline seriously!

nilent Natasha Richardson shines in this challenging role. She shows how intelligent and seemingly well put together women can put up with abusive male behaviourIt was very telling that her exquisitely portrayed boredom and contempt for her husband's 50's style sexist piggery was so extreme that she made flying into the arms of a deranged (but magnetic) madman seem catastrophically credible. All three of the men in her character's life are deeply and profoundly flawed...though in comparison to the other two, he husband was a *relatively* decent fellow.All the performances are excellent. Ian McKellen does an outstanding job of portraying a fiendishly manipulative malevolent psycho-toxic sick puppy. Of course, he "rises to the top" and becomes a great "success". If you're looking for the typical Hollywood trite "happy ending" look elsewhere. It's clear why this never won an Oscar since the movie is so dark and enraging and even depressing; but Richardson's performance here was indeed worthy of an Academy Award. It's a shame this gifted talent and lovely human being was cut short in her life and career, she will be missed...and remembered.

kcarr97 I did not realize Natasha Richardson was the daughter of Vanessa Redgrave and what a lovely, talented actress she is. Sounds just like her mother. Beautiful people. And did anyone notice how the gentlemen in the film, Martin, Ian and Hugh, were marvelous at showing her off? She is, after all, the center of this Anna Karenina-like drama. I don't know why folks are referring to Stella as a "cold" person though. This was not my impression at all, but to each his own. It seemed to me that Stella appeared to be too passionate about her feelings toward the institution and the people around her to the point that she sent everyone around her spinning out of control. She seemed to feel that every person around her had no compassion at all and she was living in an uncaring world. I mean, does anyone like this woman in the movie except her son and Peter? Her own husband treats her with contempt and disgust, so why wouldn't his mother? Even Edgar, right from the start, has no respect, and is unable or refuses to control himself around her, while they are dancing; what was she supposed to do? Slap him in the face and call for the guards to remove him immediately? Probably. But, no, she was a lady and carried on with the dance. And, I guess that's the last time she was a lady because at that point on she basically decided "to heck with this lady business". Which was her downfall. And the whole point of the movie. She broke the patient-doctor's wife trust barrier that is mandatory for every patient's health by allowing herself to become deluded into thinking she could cure a killer (well, to her, he was just a handsome sculptor whose life had been ruined by the hospital) by being with him and, even worse, he should be free. I'm afraid, Peter, Edgar's psychiatrist, was right. She was delusional. So delusional, she was unable to save her beloved son from drowning because she was so lost in her thoughts about Edgar. The shame of it all is that no one in that community of pleasant and cheerful women surrounding her reached out to help (Peter should have asked one of the ladies for help)her. Yes, Peter tried to. And I believe his intentions were good, but he did it the only way he knew how, as an administrator whose entire daily life was surrounded by ill people. He would have no background to deal with a woman, wife and mother, from the "real world", in any other way, except to say "we may have to keep you here" (thinking of her protection). Obviously, Stella took this the wrong way, probably thinking she would be admitted as a patient. I don't think that's what Peter would have done though. As far as Peter being "a queen", it may have been true that Peter was fond of Edgar, but I didn't get the impression that he broke the patient-doctor relationship by having a tryst with him. And Edgar blew him off anyway when he said, "What would she want with an old queen like you?" Peter was amused himself. I mean, these guys knew each other, for 6 years. They were laughing about it. No, I think he was really trying to help Stella by marrying her. He could see she really mucked things up, had nowhere to go, no employment prospects, no son to live for, truly was delusional about Edgar who truly was a danger, yet he, the honorable man that he was, just might be able to come to the rescue and save her. This is why, underneath it all, I think his underlying motive was to help her (he had a need to help) with the possible benefit that maybe they could have a relationship that would warm through his silver years and be good for both of them after all. Yes, even if he was a "queen". And Edgar? He was just an attractive guy who had been and could be a monster, but people were so sparkled by his good looks, they forgot about that "oh so dazzling" monster inside. Anyone heard of a story like that before? I did notice that the movie was dedicated to the patients of an institution, which I thought was very touching and is a clue that the film might have been about caring for the people around you and how hard it is to do that sometimes. Well done.

Flagrant-Baronessa Romantic thriller Asylum is a fairly intriguing adaptation of a same-titled McGrath novel, rewritten into a script by the man who wrote Closer -- Patrick Marber. Keeping this in mind whilst watching, it is impossible not to notice similarities in writing between the two films. Like Closer, Asylum is very much a study of human relationships and sexuality and both heavily explore the theme of infidelity. Also, Marber seems to have a thing for having his male character pushing up women against a wall and confronting them with their cheating -- often using violence and crude language. Just an observation.Moving away from Closer, in Asylum desperate housewife Stella (Natasha Richardson) is bored with her passionless life and dreads every day of being a good little 1950s wife to her stiff husband, who holds an important position as a doctor at a mental asylum nearby. Strolling her garden with her son one day, Stella meets mental patient Edgar who is working for them as their gardener. There is instant forbidden chemistry and the two engage in an illicit affair that soon blossoms into a passionate romance that is shadowed by more than just lust -- it is the fear of getting caught, there is sexual obsession, morbid jealousy on Edgar's part and a great deal of violence ensuing. It all sounds pretty juicy and it is at times so this isn't the kind of movie you want to watch with your parents.Marton Csokas (whom I haven't seen in much) is perfect for the role of sexy madman Edgar who is so smokin' hot with desire and jealousy that his presence is felt in scenes he isn't even in. Mackenzie shows us the allure of Edgar and make us see why Stella is so attracted to him (in spite of his violent nature) and at the same time makes us see that WE could never be attracted to him. Why not? Because it all comes down to the mental state of Stella and what she needs in her life. I thought the mental state part was handled somewhat sloppily even though we see foreshadowing events. In the end, Asylum is a well-crafted and intense thriller as it succeeds in creating a dark atmosphere throughout and it is, for the most part, well-acted by a respected cast. 7/10