The Lost Patient on Netflix is a French psychological thriller that follows Thomas as he emerges from a three-year coma at a hospital. The film was originally titled Le Patient. The 19-year-old is told that all of his family members were brutally slain, with the exception of his sister Laura, who vanished, but he has no memory of his past. Together with his psychologist Anna, Thomas sets out to investigate the mystery surrounding the deaths of his parents and locate his sister. The further they delve, though, the more sinister discoveries they uncover, which alter the course of events.
The protagonist in each film relies solely on the people they see when they awaken from slumber as their only source of information. But as the story they so fervently believed in begins to falter, they aren’t sure who is telling the truth. Additionally, Christine seeks for her son, who is thought to be dead, just as Thomas did in the French film in which he was searching for his sister. As a result, both movies have a lot in common despite their differences.
Fractured (2019)
Brad Anderson’s “Fractured” is at the top of this list because it checks the boxes of a peculiar hospital managed by dubious doctors and a protagonist seeking to sort out his murky background. The psychological thriller follows Ray as he looks for his missing wife and daughter after regaining consciousness in a spooky hospital. He searches for them, believing that the hospital staff is concealing evil information, and races against time to solve the puzzle.
Although Thomas’ character journey in “The Lost Patient” differs from Ray’s, they both want to know what happened to their families at all costs. In addition, their mistrust of others around them pushes them to act rashly, which results in shocking revelations for the audience. In addition, Ray does not have amnesia like Thomas does, but his memories still play tricks on him and leave him confused.
Memento (2000)
“Memento” is a good illustration of how director Christopher Nolan excels in the psychological thriller subgenre. It centres on Leonard, a guy who suffered an incident that killed his wife and left him with anterograde amnesia. He uses his tattoos to find people responsible and exact retribution because he can’t remember recent events.
Of addition to having memory loss, the main protagonists in “Memento” and “The Lost Patient” have also lost loved ones tragically and want to know who killed them. However, this takes them into dark alleys where their dependable confidantes similarly betray them.
Mulholland Drive (2001)
“Mulholland Drive,” a neo-noir mystery film directed by David Lynch, centres on Betty, a want tobe actress who meets Rita, an amnesiac. Together, they comb the city for leads as they work to help the latter retrieve his memory. However, Betty finds it increasingly difficult to distinguish between reality and surrealism as she learns more about Rita’s past. The setting and approach taken in the classic film are different from those in “The Lost Patient,” but their blending of reality and fantasy is uncannily similar. In addition, the viewer is left unsure of which to believe in both cases.
The protagonist of Peter Sullivan’s psychological suspense film “Secret Obsession” is Jennifer, who experiences amnesia after being hit by a car. In the hospital, when she first opens her eyes, a man named Russell presents himself as her husband and takes her through images of her former existence. While he tends to her as a devoted husband, Jennifer soon discovers he is not who he claims to be when she starts to experience flashes of her forgotten memories. She must now expose Russell’s true nature and motives in order to save herself.
The lead character in the Brenda Song-starring film is a woman, in contrast to “The Lost Patient.” The way they are tricked by the people they put their trust in, however, is what connects Jennifer and Thomas. At first glance, Russell and Anna seem to be their well-wishers, but the heroes soon learn that things are not quite as they seem. Additionally, the mystery that both films generate keeps viewers interested until the big reveal.
Shutter Island (2010)
Another film directed by Christopher Nolan, “Shutter Island” elevates the psychological thriller subgenre with its puzzling conclusion. It centres on US Marshals Teddy and Chuck, who are tasked with looking into the case of a patient who vanished from an island institution. Once there, Teddy unearths a diabolical plot purportedly related to the passing of his wife, which sends him into the depths of his own mind.
The themes of memory distortion brought on by a terrible incident that haunts the protagonists in the present are explored in both “Shutter Island” and “The Lost Patient.” They go on to show how suppressing the truth can help people recover from trauma, which causes the main characters’ psychological spiral. Additionally, Teddy and Thomas’ surroundings have an impact on their delusions, which has different outcomes for the two.
The Girl on the Train (2016)
The Girl on the Train, directed by Tate Taylor, is a psychological mystery thriller that centres on Rachel, an alcoholic in recovery who is fixated on the lives of her former neighbours Scott and Megan. But when the latter vanishes out of the blue one day, she starts her inquiry and is forced to face her problematic history. The Emily Blunt-starring film and “The Lost Patient” have a lot in common.
First of all, each movie’s main theme is how trauma can cause one’s memories to be distorted. Second, while Rachel and Thomas, the protagonists, look into murders and missing persons, their investigations progressively lead them to shocking realisations about themselves. Finally, neither they nor the audience could have predicted the people who caused their conditions, maintaining the mystery until the final act.
Unknown (2011)
In the action-thriller “Unknown,” which was directed by Jaume Collet-Serra, Martin Harris is involved in an accident while travelling to Berlin for work. Four days later, he emerges from a coma to find his wife with another guy who has taken on his identity. Martin pairs up with a young cab driver named Gina to take down the woman after finding that she is associated with an international terrorist group that intends to steal a scientist’s groundbreaking research.
The primary idea is the same as in “The Lost Patient,” despite the absence of the memory loss component. Martin also awakens from a coma in a hospital and tries to understand what happened to him. Additionally, both protagonists find allies in the women in their immediate surroundings; the first is assisted by his psychologist, while the latter is helped by a cab driver. Thomas and Martin finally learn that those close to them have unexpectedly betrayed them despite the diverse ways they take while looking into their situations.
