''Elyse'' is a 2020 American

psychological drama Psychological drama, or psychodrama, is a Genre, subgenre of Drama (film and television), drama and psychological fiction literatures that generally focuses upon the emotional, mental, and psychological development of the protagonists and other c ...

film written and directed by Stella Hopkins and starring

Anthony Hopkins Sir Philip Anthony Hopkins (born 31 December 1937) is a Welsh actor. Considered one of Britain's most recognisable and prolific actors, he is known for List of Anthony Hopkins performances, his performances on the screen and stage. Hopkins ha ...

and Lisa Pepper. It is Stella Hopkins's directorial debut. The story revolves around Elyse, played by Lisa Pepper, a woman struggling with deep psychological trauma and mental illness. The narrative delves into her deteriorating mental state after a tragic event, exploring themes of grief, memory, and recovery.

Plot

Elyse, a wealthy woman living in Los Angeles, suffers a

psychotic break In psychopathology, psychosis is a condition in which a person is unable to distinguish, in their experience of life, between what is and is not real. Examples of psychotic symptoms are delusions, hallucinations, and disorganized or incoher ...

. she becomes estranged from her husband, Steven ( Aaron Tucker), and is institutionalized in a

psychiatric facility A psychiatric hospital, also known as a mental health hospital, a behavioral health hospital, or an asylum is a specialized medical facility that focuses on the treatment of severe mental disorders. These institutions cater to patients with c ...

. While confined, Elyse experiences a blend of memories,

hallucinations A hallucination is a perception in the absence of an external stimulus that has the compelling sense of reality. They are distinguishable from several related phenomena, such as dreaming ( REM sleep), which does not involve wakefulness; pse ...

, and

delusions A delusion is a fixed belief that is not amenable to change in light of conflicting evidence. As a pathology, it is distinct from a belief based on false or incomplete information, confabulation, dogma, illusion, hallucination, or some other m ...

, revealing the depth of her emotional trauma. Her psychiatrist, Dr. Lewis (Anthony Hopkins), works to help her confront her past and understand her pain. Through their sessions, Elyse begins to unravel the events leading to her breakdown, grappling with guilt and the loss that has defined her life. The story navigates her journey of self-discovery and the initial steps toward recovery, portraying her struggles within the confines of her mind and the psychiatric institution.

Cast

as Dr. Lewis *Lisa Pepper as Elyse *Aaron Tucker *Tara Arroyave *Fran Tucker *Anthony Apel *Julieta Oritiz * Danny Jacobs

Release

Gravitas Ventures Gravitas Ventures is an American film distribution company owned by Shout! Studios. The company was founded by Nolan Gallagher in Los Angeles in 2006, and moved its headquarters from Los Angeles to Cleveland in 2019. It focuses on the distribu ...

acquired North American distribution rights to the film in October 2020. The film was released in theaters and on VOD on December 4, 2020.

Reception

The film has rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

Richard Roeper Richard E. Roeper (born October 17, 1959) is an American writer. He is a former columnist and film critic for the '' Chicago Sun-Times'', where he wrote for 39 years dating back to 1986 until his departure in 2025. He co-hosted the television s ...

of the ''

Chicago Sun-Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...

'' awarded the film one and a half stars out of four.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 9098562
Elyse
on

American drama films 2020 drama films 2020 directorial debut films 2020 films 2020s English-language films 2020s American films