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Every Breath You Take (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Every Breath You Take', also known as 'You Belong to Me', is a 2021 psychological thriller film directed by Vaughn Stein and written by David Murray. It stars Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Claflin, and Veronica Ferres. It follows a psychiatrist whose life is disrupted after introducing a client's brother to his family following the client's death.
It was released on April 2, 2021, by Vertical Entertainment.
Plot
Philip Clark (Casey Affleck) is a psychiatrist who lives a peaceful life with his wife Grace (Michelle Monaghan) and daughter Lucy, while grieving the death of his son, Evan, after a car accident three years prior. Among Philip's clients is Daphne Flagg (Emily Alyn Lind), a young depressive woman recovering from an abusive relationship, which she was able to leave with the support of Philip's therapy. Daphne is writing a book about her mental illness.
One afternoon, Philip receives a call from Daphne, who tells him that her best friend Joan has been killed in a hit-and-run accident. Later, Daphne is found dead outside her home, which the police believe to be suicide. Philip comforts her estranged British brother, James (Sam Claflin), who arrives at the scene extremely distraught. The next evening, James drops by Philip's house to drop off a book that Daphne had borrowed; sympathetic, Grace invites him to stay for dinner. Philip learns that James has written several books and is interested in buying one called 'Shadow Cast', which will take two weeks to arrive.
Dr. Vanessa Fanning (Veronica Ferres) confronts Philip for his unconventional methods used to help Daphne, which included confiding things in her he had not shared with his family. Grace meets up with James to discuss selling his sister's house. She tells him that despite Philip's profession, he has been unable to address the pain of losing Evan and their marriage is distant as a result. Philip soon notices an inappropriate connection between them and asks James to stay away from his family. Grace secretly goes to see James again and, despite her attempts to break off their relationship, they have sex.
James files a formal complaint to the Washington Board of Psychiatry against Philip, and he is suspended from his practice until it is fully investigated. James also befriends Lucy, who has a history of discipline and drug problems stemming from her grief over losing her brother, and they soon form a romantic connection. Lucy expresses a desire to run away, and he persuades her to pack her bags so they can do so together, but then later ignores her phone calls, leaving her heartbroken as a result.
When Grace's car breaks down, James appears and offers her a ride home. He purposely misses a turn and begins driving erratically before knocking Grace unconscious as she attempts to alert Philip. Philip chases them down and saves Grace. Back at home, they tell Lucy that James is a dangerous man but she does not believe them, brainwashed by the idea that they are in a relationship. Philip receives a call from Dr. Toth who tells him that James admitted himself to a psychiatry facility due to auditory hallucinations. Philip visits James who admits that he read Daphne's book about her therapy with Philip, as well as Philip's family background. As he is escorted back into his cell, James maniacally tells Philip that he "still smells" Grace.
Philip finally receives "Shadow Cast" and sees the real James Flagg on the back cover, revealing the James they have all met is an American man called Eric Dalton, Daphne's abusive ex-boyfriend. Philip discovers that Eric is psychotic; he killed Joan to make Daphne distraught in hopes that she would go back to him, and when she didn't, he murdered Daphne. Philip realises Eric has been taunting his family because he helped Daphne end her relationship with him. Philip calls Dr. Toth to order him to lock Eric down, but he has already escaped after killing security.
Realising that Eric is going after Lucy, Philip and Grace race back to their house. Eric attacks Lucy and, after a violent struggle, Grace kills him with the blade of Evan's old ice-skating boot. The three embrace as the police sirens approach.
Cast
* Casey Affleck as Phillip Clark
* Michelle Monaghan as Grace Watson
* Sam Claflin as James Flagg / Eric Dalton
* Veronica Ferres as Dr. Vanessa Fanning
* Emily Alyn Lind as Daphne Flagg
* India Eisley as Lucy Watson
* Hiro Kanagawa as Dr. Toth
* Vincent Gale as Stuart Fanning
* Lilly Krug as Lilly Fanning
* Brenden Sunderland as Evan
Production
In June 2012, it was announced Rob Reiner would direct the film, at that time titled 'You Belong to Me', from a screenplay by David Murray. In October 2012, it was announced Harrison Ford and Zac Efron had joined the cast of the film. In October 2019, it was announced Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Claflin and Veronica Ferres were cast in the film, and that Christine Jeffs would be directing. In December 2019, it was announced Vaughn Stein would replace Jeffs as director who dropped out.
Filming
Principal photography began in Vancouver in December 2019.Release
In March 2021, Vertical Entertainment acquired distribution rights to the film, and set its release in US theaters and on VOD for April 2, 2021.
Reception
Box office
'Every Breath You Take' grossed a worldwide total of $338,771.Critical response
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 21% approval rating based on 38 reviews, with an average rating of 4.2/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "Despite the A-list talent involved, 'Every Breath You Take' never amounts to much more than a thuddingly familiar psychological thriller". On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 32 out of 100, based on eight critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews".References
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