Stay

Stay is, in my opinion, Forster's best film to date since Stranger Than Fiction. While it's a pretty dense "psycho" in the end, it doesn't have much in common with Lynch, or rather I would say nothing at all. The directorial inventiveness is decent in Forster's work, but compared to, say, Aronofsky's brilliant Requiem for a Dream, it falls quite a bit short in this regard. :) Still, I’m giving about 90% for the quality of the form and for the rather good script. The cast is also very likable. (01/05/2010)

One of those “is this reality or is it a dream?” games the relies mainly on how smart the screenwriter is and on the talent and feeling of the director, because it can very easily become a dud that doesn’t make any sense. Fortunately, this one turned out well. I will study Forster and will keep an eye on him for the future. (07/26/2010)

I have seen a number of mystery movies lately that I simply couldn't tolerate. Stay is surprisingly not only functional but I would even say excellent. It has excellent coordination of music, camera, film effects, and acting performances, and has atmosphere and a meaningful well-constructed screenplay. In terms of the genre, only some early Lynch films have had such an impact on me, but compared to them, Forster's drama has a more rational point. It's the kind of film that is worth seeing not only twice, but it's even possible to enjoy many scenes from the film better with knowledge of what is going to happen, and it's possible to watch it many times over. The casting of top-notch and well-known actors paid off, and this is simply a genre delight where only two scenes bother me because reveal more than is necessary. Overall impression: 95%. (04/13/2011)

Before you die you get to a world where you can be who you want to be... A visually compelling, disturbing drama where everything you thought was real falls into time loops and evasive replies by the main protagonists. The ending rather unnecessarily removes the irrational charm of the whole mosaic, but even so it’s very tolerable. Excellent McGregor, excellent Gosling. (10/20/2012)

The film starts as A, then goes to B, then turns out to be C, in the next twist it acts as D, and in the finale it is actually E, which is somehow hidden behind it and not explicitly stated. Mindfuck games with the viewer, imagination and creativity, all supported by top performances from Ewan McGregor and Ryan Gosling. It's its own thing, it's novel and it's... special. On the other hand, I have to agree with other users that, although this is one of those "WTF movies", I'm not completely impressed and I don't think I'll want to ponder the film for weeks to come. Either way, it's quality craftsmanship and for me a bit of an unconventional Marc Forster film that will keep your head spinning throughout until the very end. (12/29/2022)