Greta (2018/ Netflix/ Thriller)
A thriller that revolves around two women with psychological issues who get entangled in a dangerous relationship of stalker and victim.
Director – Neil Jordan
Cast – Isabelle Huppert, Chloe Grace Moretz, Maika Monroe
Plot
Frances (Chloe) is coping with the loss of her mother and loneliness issues owing to that.
When she happens to meet Greta (Isabelle) as she returns Greta’s lost handbag, she finds that need for companionship and loneliness is something they have in common.
But innocent Frances fails to see the danger lurking behind this seemingly mother-daughter camaraderie.
Analysis
I am not usually a fan of stalker thrillers but something about this premise intrigued me. A women stalker with no romance or opposite sex angle piqued my curiosity.
And it did turn out a good decision.
Like a good thriller, the story makes an excellent build up where-in despite having a fairly good idea as to what’s about to go wrong, it keeps you deeply engrossed. Without any distractions, the plot remains focused around the two central characters which are so well performed that they are actually the highlight of the film more than the story itself. The equation between the two makes it absorbing.
Isabelle Huppert, who I later got to know, is a highly revered French actress, is superlative as Greta. The casual, cold, clinical and psychopathic tinge that she gives to her character is chilling without making it over the top. She makes every nuanced expression and every dialogue of hers a pleasure to watch. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the film wouldn’t have been what it is without her.
Chloe makes Frances look so adorable with that air of vulnerability about her that you feel protective of her.
Maika Monroe lends a great support as Chloe’s friend Erica. She has this natural, cool and sassy look about her.
Ever seen those artists who start with a few strokes and then gradually you start seeing the image they are trying to create and then only from a certain distance you see the entirety of the image.
Watch out for the way the writers paint a picture about Greta. You gradually see the startling facets to her personality, life and house. And remember this is despite the fact that you knew something had to be amiss all along. Thats what I loved most about the storytelling, their ability to engage and shock in spite of the sight predictability to the plot.
The film picks up pace and its control over your palpitations as it proceeds. Towards the fag end, it goes whole hog to squeeze the air right out of your lungs. Though not without loopholes, but the last half hour is full of tense and fearful moments almost akin a horror.
I found the thriller fairly good.
Their graph of build up, the nail biting moments and Huppert’s performance make it definitely worth its crisp duration of 1 hour 35 min.