WORMWOOD (Errol Morris 2017) USA

Reviewed by Xinyu Zhou. Viewed at AFI Fest 2017.

This is a very long movie. It’s about 4 hours movie.  Series 1953 July Son’s memory. The father died in New York. Fall or jumped (accident).

The camera separated to several screams when he talked about his father’s accident. The word “jump” ” fall” and “accident” in his mind and he is struggling. And the story is telling by the time line.

The evidences are appeared little by little. His father’s boss keeps in touch with his mother after his father died. He believes that his father is just disappeared, not dead. His mother notices that it’s a drastic thing for his father to see all the monkeys died in the lab, because his father is a guy tho study in the library, then suddenly being asked to work on sth to kill people. So, Mr.Olson began to be silent at home. Suddenly, one day, Mr.Olson wants to quit his job, because he began to think he is losing control, so he wants his boss the fire him.

1975: Many news and documents are shown in the movie. It makes Mr. Olson’s death more mysterious.The camera doesn’t move when Mr.Olson’s son is seating there to memorize his father and answer questions.

The video records are often used in this movie. Mr.Olson’s mental condition becomes worse and worse, and he finally asked to see a psychologist. Different people who are related to Mr. Olson keep showing up to tell their memory about Olson and his job. It’s more like a TV show or some interviews.

The camera separated into two or more screams. This shows the audiences more scenes at one time.

The music sounds freak, and it sounds like the music that uses in horror movies. The music are turned off when Mr.Olson’s son memorizes his sister and her families died in an accident. Then, the atmosphere becomes so depressing.  Mr. Olson’s son’s memories are rapid. “You will never know what happened in that room.” This is a way to show the audiences the most important thing by raiding sth again and again. What happened in that room is the truth of Mr. Olson’s death.

1984: Olson’s families come to visit Mr.Olson’s boss. Everything is clear. Mr.Olson was positioned. Mr. Olson’s son finds out “Jump” is correct to describe his father’s death. “Dive” will be better. Section4: After Mr.Olson was dead. July 13, 1975, letter from the hotel manager to tell Olson’s family Mr.Olson’s death isn’t usual. The evidence becomes more clearly.

The lights in the film aren’t bright, and it is dark all the time. The dark lights can make the atmosphere more depression, and even brings people to sadness.

1996: The truth is clear and the story starts to focus on the rebuild the secure that what happened in that room. 2001: More and more evidence shows that America used the biological weapons in Korea war

The story is like going back and force between the 1953 and the resent. The scenes are going back and force, they are mixed by the history and the present time. Some scenes are created by putting some pictures together. And sometimes the story jumps back to 1975. What happened in the room A1018 is rapidly many times, but every time it is being rapidly, the more details are added until the whole story is told.

At the end, what really happened in that room is Dr. Olson is unconscious and is threw out of the widdow by some people “worn wood, its all bitter” Erick Olson.