Director: Yorgos Lanthimos
Starring: Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons
Running Time: 118 minutes
Synopsis: Conspiracy theorist Teddy Gatz (Jesse Plemons) and his none-too-bright cousin Don (Aidan Delbis) kidnap pharmaceutical executive Michelle Fuller (Emma Stone), believing her to be an alien and part of a conspiracy to control the human race. They shave her head (because hair is a means of communication with the mother ship) and hold her captive in their basement. To regain her freedom Michelle first attempts to rationalize with her captors then tries to manipulate them, but Teddy is prepared to fight for his cause.
What Works Well: Stellar performances by Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, and Aidan Delbis create a tightly wound collision between sharp intelligence and damaged minds, and director Yorgos Lanthimos (adapting a South Korean film) steers this conflict towards intriguing explorations of the human psyche. In what becomes searing societal commentary, Michelle needs all her wits to try and wriggle free, but smarts alone may be insufficient to defeat deeply-held warped beliefs. Teddy and Don's occupation as beekeepers provides a parallel subtext about a well-structured community's collapse, and the backstory of Teddy's mother adds texture to his mental state.
What Does Not Work As Well: The final act is unworthy, ditching cerebral jousting for inconsistent and outlandish resolutions fortified by far-fetched coincidences.
Key Quote:
Teddy: Welcome to the headquarters of the human resistance.
All Ace Black Movie Blog reviews are here.
I liked this more than I like virtually everything else by Yorgos Lanthimos. I was surprised at how much I actually liked it.
ReplyDelete