''Presence of Mind'' is a 1999 Spanish-American

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

directed by Antoni Aloy and starring

Sadie Frost Sadie Liza Frost (née Vaughan; born 19 June 1965) is an English actress, producer and fashion designer, who ran fashion label Frost French (until its closure in 2011) and a film production company (Blonde to Black Pictures). Early life Frost ...

Lauren Bacall Lauren Bacall (; born Betty Joan Perske; September 16, 1924 – August 12, 2014) was an American actress. She was named the 20th-greatest female star of classic Hollywood cinema by the American Film Institute and received an Academy Honorary ...

Harvey Keitel Harvey Keitel ( ; born May 13, 1939) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of morally ambiguous and "tough guy" characters. He first rose to prominence during the New Hollywood movement, and has held a long-running association with ...

, and

Jude Law David Jude Heyworth Law (born 29 December 1972) is an English actor. He received a British Academy Film Award, as well as nominations for two Academy Awards, two Tony Awards, and four Golden Globe Awards. In 2007, he received an Honorary Cés ...

. The film is based on the 1898 novella ''

The Turn of the Screw ''The Turn of the Screw'' is an 1898 horror novella by Henry James which first appeared in serial format in '' Collier's Weekly'' (January 27 – April 16, 1898). In October 1898, it was collected in ''The Two Magics'', published by Macmil ...

'' by

Henry James Henry James ( – ) was an American-British author. He is regarded as a key transitional figure between literary realism and literary modernism, and is considered by many to be among the greatest novelists in the English language. He was the ...

Synopsis

A woman is hired to watch over two recently

orphan An orphan (from the el, ορφανός, orphanós) is a child whose parents have died. In common usage, only a child who has lost both parents due to death is called an orphan. When referring to animals, only the mother's condition is usuall ...

ed children, Flora and her brother Miles (played by Nilo Mur). The woman starts seeing

ghost A ghost is the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that is believed to be able to appear to the living. In ghostlore, descriptions of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to re ...

s and the children begin some very peculiar and disturbing behavior.

Cast

* Sadie Frost as Governess * Lauren Bacall as Mado Remei * Ella Jones as Flora * Nilo Zimmerman as Miles * Harvey Keitel as The Master * Agustí Villaronga as Fosc * Dayna Danika as Miss Jessel * Jude Law as Secretary * Jack Taylor as Father * Luz Fortuny as Aunt

Production

Frost has described the filming as intense due to the needs of the role of the Governess and having to be in every scene. Filming took place at the Raixa Estate in

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...

, Spain on a budget of $3 to 5 million and took 29 days to complete. It marked Aloy's feature film directing debut. Aloy has stated that he wanted the film to focus on "the sentimental bonds that are established between the governess and the child".

Release

''Presence of Mind'' released in September 1999. It was also released in Spain as ''El celo''. The film was screened as part of the Cinema d'Autor a l'Augusta at the

University of the Balearic Islands The University of the Balearic Islands ( ca, Universitat de les Illes Balears, UIB; es, Universidad de las Islas Baleares ) is a Balearic Spanish university, founded in 1978 and located in Palma on the island of Majorca. The university is funded ...

in 2009.

Reception

Critical reception has been mixed. ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' reviewed the film, writing that "Everything that's subtle and open to interpretation in James' novel of evil, possession and ghosts is lurid and obvious here, with a star turn by Sadie Frost that's unauthoritative to say the least and arch support from Lauren Bacall that gives the drama a ripple of unintentionally camp humor."

Sight & Sound ''Sight and Sound'' (also spelled ''Sight & Sound'') is a British monthly film magazine published by the British Film Institute (BFI). It conducts the well-known, once-a-decade ''Sight and Sound'' Poll of the Greatest Films of All Time, ongoing ...

was also dismissive, as they felt that "As a measure of how James' text can be milked for terrible gothic grandstanding, Presence of Mind was exemplary." The New York Times also noted that "It seems to want the distinction of being the most uncomfortable ''Screw'' adaptation." Philip Horne was more favorable, calling it "impressively atmospheric, and successfully unsettling".

References

External links

* * 1999 horror films 1999 films 1999 drama films Spanish horror films American horror drama films Spanish drama films English-language Spanish films Films based on The Turn of the Screw 1990s English-language films 1990s American films {{1990s-drama-film-stub