Flatliners 2017: Heart-stopping drama
Flatliners is a science fiction and horror movie from 2017. It was directed by Niels Arden Oplev. Similar to the 1990 original Flatliners, the story is about medical students who try a very dangerous idea. They stop their own hearts on purpose, to see what happens after death.
At first, it feels like a wild science experiment. But soon the students learn something scary. When they come back to life, they bring something back with them. The movie stars Elliot Page, Diego Luna, Nina Dobrev, James Norton, and Kiersey Clemons. Another actor, Kiefer Sutherland, who starred in the original 1990 film makes a cameo (small role) appearance.
The Big Idea
The story takes place at a medical school. The students are smart and curious. They spend their days learning how to save lives. But one student, Courtney, wants to learn something bigger. She is obsessed with what happens to people after they die.
Doctors sometimes talk about “near-death experiences.” These are moments when a person’s heart stops, but they are brought back to life. Some people say they saw strange things during that time. They talk about lights, voices, or seeing people who already died.
Courtney thinks maybe the brain is still active during those moments. So she postulates, “What if we stop the heart on purpose… and then start it again?”
The First Experiment
Courtney convinces two friends to help her. They sneak into a quiet room in the hospital late at night. The room has medical machines. They hook Courtney up to heart monitors and other tools. Then they give her a drug that stops her heart. On the monitor, the line goes flat. As her friends wait the predetermined full minute, they are nervous. Sixty seconds feels very long.
Courtney is dead, but they try to restart her heart with a defibrillator. At first, it does not work. Panic sets in. Finally, another student helps them shock her heart again. And the heart monitor, shows a heartbeat. Courtney is alive again.
Something Strange Happens
After the experiment, Courtney says something amazing happened. She says the experience felt beautiful and peaceful. She also feels different now. As if she tapped into a nootropic catalyst, the perfect student’s stimulant. Her brain seems stronger, she retains everything she reads. She learns new things very fast. It is like her mind is working better than before.
Her friends see this and become curious. Could dying for a short time positively change the brain? Soon another student decides to try the same experiment. Then another. Each person stops their heart for a short time and then comes back.
At first, it seems like they found something incredible. Their minds become sharper. They learn faster. They feel powerful. But this does not last.
The Nightmares Begin
So this science fiction needs more than a dangerous brain experiment. It’s also a horror movie afterall. A few days go by and strange things start happening. Courtney begins seeing her, long-dead, little sister. At first, the visions are small. She hears footsteps. She sees shadows.
Then the visions become stronger and scarier. Her sister appears in front of her. She screams. She attacks. Courtney realizes something terrible. The things she sees are connected to guilt she feels about her sister’s death. And she is not the only one.
Each Student Is Haunted
Every student who stopped their heart begins seeing someone from their past. These are not random ghosts. They are people wronged by the students. Jamie starts hearing a baby crying, he had asked his ex-girlfrend to have an abortion. Sophia sees a girl she treated badly in school. Marlo sees a patient who died because she made a mistake during training.
These visions follow them everywhere. The ghosts appear in classrooms, streets, elevators, and dark rooms. At first the students think they are going crazy and keep the hauntings to themselves. Eventually they realize that everyone is being haunted by something from their past. Something for which they had carried unspoken guilt.
The Truth About the Visions
The students begin to understand the visions are connected to guilt. When they stopped their hearts, something changed in their minds. Like death forced them to face their worst memories.
The visions are not just trying to scare them; they force the students to face their past mistakes. For example, Jamie finally reaches out to his ex-girlfriend. When he does this, the visions start to fade.
This suggests something important. The only way to stop the nightmares is to make things right. But can they make things right before the guilt destroys them ?
