Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Chloe Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe, Colm Fiore, Zawe Ashton, Stephen Rea
Distributor: Universal Pictures
Runtime: 98 mins. Reviewed in Mar 2019
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Greta is a woman with deep problems. And, the screenplay depicting her and how she acts out her problems has some plot problems in itself.
This is a psychological thriller, a collection of all kinds of familiar ingredients all stirred together and coming up with a story and developments which are still quite familiar. To this extent, pervading the whole film and its characters and situations, it is rather disappointing, especially as it comes from director Neil Jordan who for over 30 years has built up a solid reputation and some outstanding films, including The End of the Affair, the Crying Game, The Butcher Boy.
Greta is played by Isabelle Huppert who has been headlining films for over 40 years, an actress of great virtuosity, capable of performing all kinds of roles. We haven’t seen her quite like this although she uses her capacity for sometimes looking quite impassive while a whole lot is going on inside her mind and with her feelings.
However, the story belongs to a young woman, Frances, played by Chloe Grace Moretz, who sees an abandoned briefcase in the New York subway, takes it home where her roommate, Erica, Maika Monroe goes through it. But, Frances is honourable and takes it to the owner who welcomes her, is friendly, allows Frances to take her to buy a dog as a companion in her loneliness.
Fatal! Greta’s response is definitely a fatal attraction.
What follows is, as mentioned, familiar enough. Greta starts to be present, ever-present, standing vigil outside the restaurant where Frances works, suddenly appearing, stalking, mysteriously taking and sending photos as she follows Erica through the streets. When Frances complains to the police, they say they can’t do anything and that Frances will just have to endure it.
Desperate, Frances is advised to pretend to go away, trying to placate Greta. Fatal!
By this stage, some of the elements of abduction, torment and the touch of torture, come into play, Greta really out of mind (having created a personal back story which has no element of truth). Stephen Rea, who appears in most of Neil Jordan’s films, turns up as a private detective but obviously has not seen the enough films about private detectives leaving themselves open to attack by the stalker and so has only a very small, brief cameo role.
The device for the solution for the film also seems exceedingly contrived.
It is an opportunity to see Isabelle Huppert and her working with Chloe Grace Moretz but, the whole venture is rather ordinary.
Peter Malone MSC is an Associate of the Australian Catholic Office for Film and Broadcasting.
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