Synopsis
Maren, a young woman, learns how to survive on the margins of society.
Directed by Luca Guadagnino
Based on a book by Camille DeAngelis
Starring Timothée Chalamet, Mark Rylance and Taylor Russell
Coming soon to cinemas
If you can go into this movie without watching the trailer, do. (Also, heads up… I’ve Benedict Cumberbatched this review.)
Review
This screening was a hoot. The film was good, but I’d also just like to give a shout out to the people sitting on either side of me… sadly, I don’t know who they were, I will just fondly talk about them in the future as wedgie girl and squeamish girl (literally any blood and the hands went straight in front of her face, but credit to her for sticking it out, I would have absolutely abandoned the theatre).
Maren finds it hard to make friends, but it looks like this new school is going to be different. Invited to a girls' night, she sneaks out of her bedroom window and runs off into the night. The outcome isn’t what she’d hoped for, and results in her and her father needing to leave town immediately. When she meets a kindred spirit, their bond helps them both deal with their struggles. But the past will always catch up with you.
There’s nothing like sitting in a film and being shocked by an essential plot point that you’d forgotten… it makes for a very powerful change of pace, while leaving you no doubt Bones and All is a horror.
I was annoyed at points through the film, as I tried to remember what I knew Taylor Russell from (Escape Room and Lost in Space), thankfully her performance knocked that out of my mind. Absolutely a highlight.
Our three main characters manage to somehow be the same, and yet, have entirely different outlooks on life. Their stories wind together seamlessly, and we get to see how those interactions shape each character without confusion or jarring scene changes.
Russell manages to take Maren from shy and reclusive to purposeful and outgoing in such a smooth transition. The scared girl finds her footing through Lee (Timotei Charlemagne) when the pair feel an instant connection.
Russell and Timothée Chamalama-ding-dong have amazing chemistry together. It feels like it shouldn’t have worked, but it did, and I couldn’t see anyone else managing that. Though there was a standard section of indifference in his performance, Chalamet’s raw emotions towards the end, manage to keep him well-paced with Russell.
Mark Rylance is getting around this festival! (Inland is on my list to watch from the digital library.) Sully’s isolation has made him… odd. Rylance has a knack for doing this, and the drool is… Bleurgh. I don’t know how much of his behaviours were dictated in the script, but I’d say they got something that outshines what they created.
We absolutely need more horror romances like this, though I’m not sure how I feel about the non-descript horror element of it. I may need to hunt down the book to see what was ripped out in the name of brevity. But a story well told and a strong cast, certainly made for an interesting and unusual film.
What you should do
This is scheduled for later this year, though it doesn’t necessarily need a big screen, if it comes out on one, that would definitely be the best way to see it.
Although do remember, Miss Squeamish does advise you don’t watch it if blood and gore really aren’t your thing.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
The record collection and player.
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