Summary
A wealthy man brings his young mistress to an exotic isolated location, but things take a turn for the worse when the man’s friends arrive a day earlier than their supposed to.
My Thoughts
DISCLAIMERS AND TRIGGER WARNINGS: Let’s get this out of the way first thing. This film has a rape scene that will make a lot of people feel uncomfortable (that’s the point of the scene). There is also a heavy amount of extraordinarily graphic violence in this film. This is not a movie for people who generally don’t do well with visceral films; it’s just as brutal as “I Saw The Devil” (2010) or “Evil Dead” (1981). That being said, this film is incredibly stylish and is one of the best genre-bending action-horror films in recent memory. This is a film that deserves to be seen, but there is only a small group of people that I’d recommend this to. With that out of the way, let’s begin.
(SOME SPOILERS IN THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPH)
Jen (Matilda Lutz, “Rings”) and her married boyfriend Richard (Kevin Janssens) head to a remote home accessible only by off-road vehicles or helicopter. Jen is well aware that Richard is married and has children; she seems to feel the situation is fine the way it is. The next morning, Jen wakes up and is startled when she sees a man standing outside the home with a rifle in his hands. Soon, however, we learn that Richard had two friends coming up, Stan (Vincent Colombe) and Dimitri (Guillaume Bouchede). The three of them had intended to go hunting after Jen left, but his friends arrived a day early. After a few awkward moments, Stan and Dimitri decide to stay on for the day- they drink, dance, and then sleep. The next day, while Richard is off somewhere else, Stan corners Jen in a room and rapes her. When Richard returns, he tries to come up with a solution that won’t involve him getting in trouble, but Jen threatens to tell Richard’s wife. Richard hits Jen, and Jen flees. They come to the edge of a cliff, and Richard throws her off the cliff. Jen survives, but she’s brutally wounded. It becomes a story of survival; Jen vs Richard, Stan, and Dimitri.
(SPOILERS END)
This is a very simple storyline, and it’s one that’s been visited before: “I Spit On Your Grave” (1978), “Last House on the Left” (1972) and the half dozen lackluster sequels spawned by both of those series. The subgenre is exploitative: we see horrible people do horrible things and as a result we want horrible things to happen to those horrible people, horribly. It’s kind of cheap, and if it’s handled poorly (as often it is), the picture never really rises above an exploitation film. This movie is different. It transcends the rape-revenge genre, becoming a stylish half-breed of French extremist horror and 70’s Grindhouse films. But best of all; this is a film that’s got something to say.
My feelings on the French extremist genre (or New French Extremity as I’ve also seen it called) are tepid. I absolutely loved “Raw” (2017), which I’d consider on the fringe of the genre, and “Inside” (2007) was pretty great, but typically I find entries in this subgenre to be rather repulsive (I actually turned off “Martyrs” (2008)- and it’s extraordinarily rare that a movie makes me do that). I have no problems with over-the-top gore in movies or even brutal effects, as long as it serves a purpose to the story. This film is just as gory as one of the earlier “Saw” films, but the violence is necessary to the story, and the way that the violence is shown makes us feel for the characters or for the situation they’re in. This is a different kind of revenge movie; its filled with symbolism and style, and Jen’s journey from terrified persecuted victim to terrifying vicious hunter makes her a character just as awesome and strong of a character as Ripley from “Alien”, or Furiosa from “Mad Max: Fury Road”.
Matilda Lutz as Jen shows an incredible amount of range. In the beginning she comes off a little ditzy; fun loving, and seems to be down for anything, but then her character shifts violently. In a heartbeat, Jen goes from party-girl to survivalist, but it doesn’t feel forced or out of place. The film knows just how far to push the ridiculousness of some of what its doing. And of ridiculous moments, there are a few. The film knows that the base concept for this story is schlock; the plot is straight from bad b-movies from the 70’s. In the same way that the giallo film “Deep Red” (1975) acknowledges that it’s origins are in penny dreadful novels and cheap horror trash, this film pays homage to the grindhouse films of the 70s. However, this film elevates grindhouse gristle to a stunning arthouse achievement through its use of stunning visuals and symbolism, as well as gory action set pieces filled with practical effects and unforgettably gruesome yet emotionally satisfying deaths. This film would be nothing without Matilda Lutz’s performance.
The best part of this film is Coralie Fargeat, the writer and director of this film. Coralie has an eye for symbolism, something that I’m a huge sucker for in almost any kind of film. The colors pink and blue play a key role in a lot of Jen’s wardrobe, the design of the house (pillows, windows, artwork). For me, a lot this color waving ramps up the primal nature of the film: it’s man vs woman in a battle of life and death. There’s also a recurring theme of ants: crawling over fruit, then rotted fruit, being drown in blood… The way the film is shot is super saturated and vibrant. The blood pops. The sunsets are brilliant. For a movie with such a gritty premise, I was surprised how beautiful this movie looked.
Verdict
Look, I could talk for another thousand words about you how much I loved this movie, but I wont do that (though I did love it). This film is really good, but… I urge caution when watching it. This is, after all, a site dedicated to Christian perspective on movies, and this film shows a ton of things that, if I were still a freshman in high school, my parents would not want me watching. This is a movie that I think some people will definitely enjoy, but others will run away from this movie for its content.
Review Written By: