The Autopsy of Jane Doe

The Autopsy of Jane Doe (2016) takes place almost entirely in a morgue and consists of the autopsy of a single body. A father and son, both coroners, take in a body at night. The woman has no identity, no wound anywhere on her, and nothing at the scene explains her. As the autopsy proceeds, what comes out of her does not match what is visible: her lungs are burned, her wrists broken, her teeth cut, and there is not a mark on her skin. The fear comes from that mismatch. Each new finding makes the last one impossible, and the audience is forced to think alongside the doctors. The body was played by an actor, not a prop. The director André Øvredal gave the part to Olwen Kelly because of her yoga background: she could control her breathing until it was invisible. She lay motionless on a cold marble table for eight to ten hours a day, for weeks. That choice carries the whole effect: the body on screen really is a person, and you feel it while watching. Brian Cox and Emile Hirsch play the two men. The father and son relationship gives the film a second layer. The explanation in the final section is debated; some viewers think the mystery was better unexplained. Øvredal is Norwegian; this was his first English language film. It runs 86 minutes. Good for: single location horror, mystery, and atmosphere. Less good for: the autopsy scenes are explicit and graphic; do not open it with a weak stomach.