Judging by the reviews it seems to be a polarizing film that has determined this, rather unfair, low score. I found Regression to have an interesting premise, well written, crafted and credibly pulled off by stylish director Alejandro Amenábar. Writer/director of The Others and Open your Eyes, as well as writer of the English version, Vanilla Sky. A classic thriller with a classic twist. Worth watching.

This film has the ability to be a lot better than it was, with a great angle of the satanism abuse, it reminded me of a real life story here in the uk. This one is clearly based on true events, but perhaps wasn't as engaging in the beginning as the end and it's easy to get lost in somebif the story. That being said it's a worthy watch and perhaps one that becomes more clear with a second viewing.

I grew up in a cult. The classic kind from the seventies. And then they disappeared but heavily influenced DC politics. This movie is a close representation of perhaps mass hysteria experienced on all levels of the media and is a good provocation of what it is like to be stuck in a fraudulent system.I give this film the rate of a ten for simply stunning acting, very, very subtle transition from scene to scene, great cinematography, an incredible score and for truly capturing a spirit of mystery and for allowing nonfiction to be fiction or vice versa, to being true to the spirt of a kind of collective mysteria all religious people seem to suffer from and for dealing with a forbidden topic, that is, the one devout Christians most fear. Yes, this film deals with heavy issures but because things like this have happened to others and to me, i cannot say they are not true.Thank you, Ethan, Emma and to Mr. Amenabar.

REGRESSION tells the story of high strung detective Bruce Kenner, played by Ethan Hawke, trying to unravel the mystery behind a suspect accused of child molestation in the small rural community of Hover, MN.The accused father, John Gray, can neither admit nor deny his crime against his daughter, as he cannot fully remember the events. A psychiatrist is brought in to guide the investigation, which quickly becomes complicated and not as it first appears. Several of the characters, including the victim's estranged family members and detective Kenner, all begin experiencing nightmares, brought about by exposure to the horrific events that are described in the psychiatrist's regression therapy sessions. These events center around a sadistic satanic cult and the evil deeds to which their victims are subjected. The nightmares become so intense that is becomes difficult for the characters to separate hallucination from reality.Kudos to writer/director Alejandro Amenabar, from whose hands we can see his tightly controlled craft. He did so many things right in this movie that it more than made up for a couple of slow spots in the script. First, this was a period piece, and the bar for accuracy in period pieces has been raised over the last decade due to TV shows like Mad Men and Boardwalk Empire. Amenabar shows us his vision of 1990 with great attention to detail, including the boxy Chevrolet Caprice cop cars, the tacky furniture and cabinets in Kenner's house, and the micro-cassette recorders and other electronic devices from that era. Amenabar also chooses the side of subtlety as he frightens the audience, using a minimum of blood and gore but leaning heavily on the power of suggestion. This movie leans cerebral over slasher.In the end (here comes the spoiler) we learn that daughter Angela, played by Emma Watson, is making up the accusations against her father as a way to punish him and her family for binding her to her white trash roots with no hope of escaping to a better life. Again, the plot twist is more subtle than earth shattering, but we in the audience don't feel let down by the whole "figment of their imagination" ending present in films like FIGHT CLUB or SPHERE.Lastly, Amenabar's film leaves the audience to form its own conclusions. It doesn't take sides on the religious faith vs. academic science argument, and aptly demonstrates the fallacies of regression therapy without beating us over the head with it.