“I hadn’t seen this movie in years, possibly a decade. I of course remember it as being disturbing (love those), but I couldn’t really explain why. Yeah, there’s some messed up events that occur, but that didn’t explain why I get an icky feeling in my stomach when I think about it. Don’t think that icky is necessarily a bad thing. I’ve made the point before that with as many movies as I see, it’s hard to get a strong reaction out of me, so I will take icky over apathy any day.
This time, I think I figured out where it’s all coming from, and I feel like an idiot for taking so long to realize. First off, quick plot interjection. If you’re not aware of what this movie is about, Christian Bale is, um, a machinist with insomnia. He hasn’t slept in a year, and it’s taking a toll on him. Things are getting weird. Bad stuff’s happening around him. He can’t function. The connection I didn’t make until now is that the ick factor that makes me feel really uncomfortable and unbalanced is meant to mimick what our protoganist is feed. (Duh *facepalm*). He’s just as disoriented, if not moreso, and this movie is so incredibly effective in transfering that to the viewer. Proceed with caution, but for me, the payoff is worth the mental discomfort.”