"Stay" is one of those movies where, for awhile, its fun watching the events unfold, even though you're never sure exactly what's going on. But after awhile it's sort of frustrating, especially when you start to assume not even the filmmakers knew how to wrap things up. While I don't consider myself stupid, I felt sort of like an idiot when the end credits began to roll because, honestly, I didn't get it. Still, it's a great looking piece of film, with some pretty good low-key performances.

Ewan McGregor is psychologist Sam Foster, whose newest patient, Henry (Ryan Gosling) calmly announces he's going to kill himself in three days. Henry's harboring a shitload of guilt over the deaths of his parents (at first we're made to believe he murdered them, but it later turns out it was a car accident). Alarmed at Henry's declaration, Sam tries to intervene, but in doing so, his own life becomes more tumultuous and surreal. He has wild hallucinations, relives the same events over and over (we're made to assume they are events Henry first experienced), and meets people who are supposed to be dead. Sometimes what we're watching Sam go through what seems like past events, sometimes events yet to come. As Sam continues to search for Henry to keep him from accomplishing his suicidal goal, we sort of learn what makes Henry tick from his acquaintances, though what they have to do with the story is sometimes dubious at best (virtually everyone who pops up is on-hand for the movie's climax). I don't mind ambiguous movies, so long as there a reason for the ambiguity, but "Stay" throws so many bizarre scenes and plot twists that pretty soon it stops making any real sense. The last third of the film seems to be surreal for the sake of surrealism. I found the ending particularly frustrating, not because it's confusing (which it is), but because it sort of undermines the previous 90 minutes without offering any satisfactory payoff. Is what we just watched taking place in the past, present or future, and is it through the eyes of Sam or Henry? We never know for sure, and the film, while interesting, doesn't offer any satisfactory answers. But I have to admit "Stay" is seldom boring. Transitional scenes are handled with subtle virtuosity (with the aid of some nifty visual effects), and the performances are, for the most part, first rate. McGregor makes a compelling lead (but whomever designed his wardrobe should be shot), and Bob Hoskins, as a blind colleague, steals every scene he's in. Naomi Watts does what she can with a fairly thankless role as Sam's girlfriend; we initially made to think she'll have a major role in the film's outcome, but ultimately, she's just another face. Arguably the best performance belongs to Gosling as Henry; he displays just enough defiance and vulnerability that makes the character work, even when the story surrounding him is falling apart.

The film is presented in its original 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and for the most part, the images are first rate, with accurate black tones and no noticeable blemishes. The sound transfer is equally impressive, sporting effective & creative balance, with no discernable distortion.

Aside from a few perfunctory commentary tracks by director Marc Foster ("Finding Neverland") and a few other behind-the-camera people, the only other bonus feature beside a trailer is the dubious featurette, "Departing Visions," featuring interviews with real life people who discuss their own near-death experiences. Another feature, "The Music of 'Stay'," is listed on the box, is listed, but was nowhere to be found on the screener copy I received.

"Stay" is a very well made film that suffers from an overly incoherent narrative that seems to go out of its way to be blatantly ambiguous, dropping clues here and there without ever really offering the payback of an answer....it feels like another "Sixth Sense," only without a satisfactory resolution. Still, the movie looks great and features some good performances, and is probably worth at least renting.