Trauma Reviews

This confusing psychological drama deals with newlywed Richards who, suffering amnesia, returns with her husband Conte to her old family home. Her mental condition is the result of her shock at having seen her aunt, Bari--onetime lover of her new husband--murdered by an unknown assailant in the family swimming pool. Befriending Garner, the nephew of caretaker Kemmerling, she explores the estate with him. Her memory returns as a result, and she inquires about the whereabouts of her late aunt's retarded son, who, unknown to anyone, was fathered by Kemmerling. (Are you with us so far?) In an unrelated subplot, Conte is arrested for fraud, clearing the way for Richards' romance with Garner. Kemmerling reprises an earlier crime by attempting to drown Richards in the swimming pool, but he is interrupted by Garner and conveniently has a fatal heart attack. With his dying breath, Kemmerling attempts to unravel the complex plot: he had killed the retardate, who was a homicidal maniac, and then had drowned witness Bari. A first film appearance for Richards and one of the last for Bari, the only well-known name in the cast, this movie was also the first effort of the independent producing company. Having exhausted several plots in this one picture, the producers apparently felt no need to make another.