Asylum

Asylum is a 2005 Anglo-Irish drama film directed by David Mackenzie and made by Mace Neufeld Productions, Samson Films, Seven Arts Productions, Zephyr Films Ltd and released by Paramount Classics. It is based on the 1996 novel Asylum by Patrick McGrath and was adapted for the screen by Patrick Marber and Chrysanthy Balis. It stars Natasha Richardson, Marton Csokas, Ian McKellen and Hugh Bonneville with a cast also including Sean Harris, Joss Ackland, Wanda Ventham, Maria Aitken and Judy Parfitt. Plot summary Asylum is set in Britain in the early 1960s. It tells the story of Stella Raphael (Natasha Richardson), the bored and unfulfilled wife of Max (Hugh Bonneville), a psychiatrist working at a remote mental asylum. Stella starts a passionate affair with Edgar (Marton Csokas), one of the patients. Edgar is particularly dangerous, having gruesomely murdered his wife in a jealous rage. Not deterred by Edgar's violent past, Stella is beguiled by Edgar's passion and the affair intensifies. Although Max suspects nothing, Dr. Peter Cleave (Sir Ian McKellen) correctly guesses that the two are seeing each other. Cleave, who is fixated on Stella himself, attempts to get Edgar to admit to the affair—to no avail.