The film is the story of an American woman who goes to a remote villa in the Moroccan desert with her married boyfriend only to be raped and left for dead by her boyfriend and his friends who embark on a hunting trip only to realize that she is not dead and wants to kill them. It is a film with a simple premise that explores the idea of vengeance, yet it is in its setting and the dynamic between male and female is what makes the story different from typical revenge stories. Notably as writer Coralie Fargeat does explore the male gaze and how their dismissive view on this young woman, they meet would be their undoing. Although the young woman in Jen (Matilda Lutz) is an American woman who believes her boyfriend Richard (Kevin Janssens) would give her all the things she wants. A night of partying, raped by one of his friends, chased, and then be left for dead would force her to face a darker reality in an environment that is foreign to her. Even as she is someone who must go by her own survival instincts as well as a tiny bag of peyote that Richard had to go on a journey for vengeance.
Fargeat’s direction is stylish in the way she emphasizes on different visual traits to play into this journey of revenge with elements of surrealism as well as playing to the male gaze. Shot on location in Morocco with its deserts being a key location for the film, Fargeat utilizes wide and medium shots to get a scope into the vast space of where these characters are. She also uses close-ups and extreme close-ups to play into the sense of dread and exploitation as the first act plays into Jen being this object of desire for Richard as well as his friends Stan (Vincent Colombe) and Dimitri (Guillaume Bouchede) where the former dances with Jen and later rape her the next morning after she refuses his advances. Richard would come home to learn about what happened only to make her keep quiet about everything until she threatened to tell his wife about what happened is when things escalated badly where she would be chased through the desert and then pushed off a cliff by Richard.
Fargeat’s direction early on has this kinetic style that would also be reflected in the editing where she and co-editors Bruno Safar and Jerome Eltabet would use fast-cuts and offbeat rhythmic cuts to play into a chaotic style that would be prevalent in a sequence involving the peyote that Jen would have possession of. Fargeat would also emphasize a graphic approach to the violence as blood is a major detail in the film in the fact that Jen’s torso lands onto a tree branch that she would have to pull out. There are also these intense extreme close-ups of wounds on body as Fargeat goes into some excruciating detail into the severity of these wounds. The violence is also unforgiving in its overall presentation where Fargeat would slow things down visually to include long and intricate tracking shots which is a direct contrast to the way the film is presented early on. Particularly in the editing where it allows shot to linger for more than a few seconds into minutes to add to the suspense. The film’s climax where Fargeat has this young woman go on this mission for revenge as it is about the man who fucked her over and left her for dead. Overall, Fargeat crafts an unsettling yet enthralling revenge film about a woman who goes on a hunt of her own.
Cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its vibrant usage of colored shades and mood for the daytime exterior scenes in the desert and at the villa to the usage of available light and fire for the exterior scenes at night in the desert. Costume designer Elisabeth Bornaut does excellent work with the costumes in the stylish clothing Jen would have early in the film including her pink-star earrings with the clothes that the men wear. Special makeup effects artists Pierre Emmanuel Kass and Laetitia Quillery do incredible work with the makeup effects in the way body wounds are presented in graphic detail including scenes involving gore as it is a highlight of the film.
Sound designers Jerome Faurel, Alain Feat, and Eric Mauer do superb work with the sound as it play into the natural sound of the locations as well as the sound effects that play into some of the body horror in the film. The film’s music by Robin Coudert, in his ROB alias, does amazing work with the film’s soundtrack with its eerie and pulsating electronic music score that play into the suspense and terror while music supervisors Stephanie Sfeir, Clement Souchier, and Jeanne Trellu create a soundtrack that include elements of pop and electronic music including pieces from Brodski and Clive Hicks.
The casting by Martin Rougier is wonderful as it feature a voice appearance from Barbara Gateau as the voice of Richard’s wife and Jean-Louis Tribes as the helicopter pilot who drops Richard and Jen off at the villa in the film’s opening scene. Guillaume Bouchede is fantastic as Dimitri as fat slob who is a skilled hunter despite his boorish appearance. Vincent Colombe is excellent as Stan as a hunter and close friend of Richard who flirts with Jen and later rape her where he is shocked over the aftermath only to get himself into some serious trouble. Kevin Janssens is brilliant as Richard as this rich married man who is the embodiment of the male chauvinism where he is this alpha male that has fucked with the wrong woman. Finally, there’s Matilda Lutz in a phenomenal performance as Jen as this young woman who is on a vacation thinking she is there for a good time until she is raped, assaulted, and left for dead. Lutz brings a physicality as a woman who is out of her comfort zone in a desolate environment but with limited survival skills that prove to be useful where she turns into this stone-cold killer who walks barefoot and a peyote hangover. It is truly a breakout performance for the young actress.
Revenge is a spectacular film by Coralie Fargeat that features a great performance from Matilda Lutz. Along with its supporting cast, vibrant visuals, a mesmerizing film soundtrack, uncompromising approach to violence, and a simple yet gripping take on vengeance. This is a film that takes a simple premise and adds a visceral approach to the subject of revenge as it plays into the many fallacies of chauvinism. In the end, Revenge is a tremendous film by Coralie Fargeat.
(The Substance (2024 film))
© thevoid99 2024
The film is about a blind boy who finds his father dead after falling off from his house where questions arise into whether it was an accident, a suicide, or was he killed by his wife following an argument? It is a film that explores a man’s death with his wife and son trying to understand what happened while the wife gets questioned about the events preceding his death. The film’s screenplay by Justine Triet and Arthur Harari does use a simple plot about a man’s death yet it explores a lot more such as a marriage, a man’s mental illness and failures, an accident that would blind their son, and other things leading to a trial where this woman is being questioned into whether she killed her husband. There is also questions about who she is as a writer and her approach to creating her stories as a form of autofiction where a lot of things are unveiled. All these questions about the death of Samuel Maleski (Samuel Theis) would lead to a trial with his wife Sandra Voyter (Sandra Huller) being the main suspect and their son Daniel (Milo Machado-Graner) also having to testify about what he remembered that day.
Triet’s direction is straightforward in terms of its overall presentation as it is shot on locations near the French Alps with Grenoble being a key location in the film including the courtroom scenes and a few shots in Paris. Much of Triet’s direction is intimate in its overall presentation in its usage of close-ups and medium shots where it opens with Sandra talking to a student in Zoe (Camille Rutherford) for an interview where Sandra is more interested in Zoe while Daniel tends to the family dog Snoop (Messi) as he would later go on a walk with Snoop outside. Sometime after Zoe had left Daniel took Snoop for a walk, is when they returned home to find Samuel dead as did Sandra who had woken up from a nap. The film’s first act is not just about Samuel’s death but also Sandra being a suspect for murder as she confers with her lawyer Vincent Renzi (Swan Arlaud) who asks questions on what to do while she and Daniel must cope with police officers and investigators looking into the house to figure out what happened. Daniel would remember something about that day as it adds more complications for Sandra as she is then indicted for killing her husband.
The film’s second act shifts the film to a year later where the trial happens as a lot of things are unveiled including audio recordings at the home including an argument the day before Samuel’s death. Daniel, accompanied by a court-order monitor in Marge (Jehnny Beth), would listen while also having to imagine what might have happened with the prosecutor (Antoine Reinartz) suggesting motives into Sandra killing Samuel. There are some unique wide and medium shots in the courtroom where Triet puts a lot of diligence in the courtroom of what is happening in the foreground and who is watching in the background. Even in a scene where Daniel testifies as the camera pans back and forth towards Vincent and the prosecutor in a game of dominance between the two attorneys. The film’s third act does not just relate to revelations about Sandra’s work as a writer but also Samuel’s failures where Sandra admits to borrowing one of his ideas for her book, but she gave him credit. It is really about Daniel in his search for answers as it relates to an event that happened months ago where he does an experiment to figure out what happened.
Even though Daniel could not see, he could imagine things with his mind as he is forced to figure out his father’s mental state. It is a moment in the film where a boy must comprehend the chaos of his parents’ marriage as well as the guilt that his father had in playing an indirect role in Daniel becoming blind because of an accident. While the trial would put a strain into Daniel’s relationship with his mother, the third act does give him a sense of purpose to understand the truth but also his own interpretation of what happened on the day his father died. Overall, Triet crafts a somber yet rapturous film about the death of a man with his wife and son trying to make sense of what happened.
Cinematographer Simon Beaufils does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography as it is straightforward with its usage of natural lighting for the daytime exterior scenes and the usage of available light for the exterior scenes at night including low-key lighting for the nighttime interior scenes. Editor Laurent Senechal does excellent work with the editing where it has a few montage bits as well as some unique rhythmic cuts to play into the suspense and drama. Production designer Emmanuelle Duplay and set decorator Cecile Deleu do amazing work with the look of the home that Sandra and Daniel live in as well as the courtroom in how big it is. Costume designer Isabelle Pannetier does fantastic work with the costumes as they are casual apart from a suit that Sandra wears during her trial.
Visual effects supervisors Nikolas d’Andrade and Niranjan Sivguruthan do terrific work with the film’s visual effects as it relates to computer re-enactment bits shown at the trial. Sound editors Fanny Martin and Jeanne Delplancq do superb work with the sound in capturing the way music sounds from afar and up-close as well as other sparse moments in the film. Music supervisor Thibault Deboaisne does wonderful work in assembling the film’s soundtrack as it features classical piano pieces by Frederic Chopin as well as an instrumental cover of 50 Cent’s P.I.M.P. by Bacao Rhythm & Steel Band which serves as a key moment in the film.
The casting by Cynthia Arra does marvelous work with the casting as it feature some notable small roles from Sophie Fillieres as Daniel’s godmother Monica, Anne Rotger as the judge in the trial, Saadia Bentaieb as Vincent’s paralegal Noub, Camille Rutherford as the student Zoe that was interviewing Sandra in the film’s first scene, and Messi as Daniel’s pet dog Snoop who would play a key part into Daniel’s investigation about his father. Samuel Theis is superb as Sandra’s husband Samuel Maleski as the man who would be found dead as he is seen through flashbacks as a troubled man that tried to be a writer and failed as he often blames it on Sandra while consumed with guilt in playing an indirect role into Daniel’s blindness. Jehnny Beth is fantastic as Marge Berger as this court-appointed caretaker for Daniel as she helps observe Daniel’s behavior while also trying to understand what he is dealing with in relation to his father’s death.
Antoine Reinartz is excellent as the prosecutor who is convinced that Sandra killed Samuel while also analyzing her work as a writer and providing ideas that Sandra did more than just kill Samuel. Swann Arlaud is brilliant as Sandra’s lawyer Vincent Renzi as a man who is defending Sandra while also trying to figure out legal maneuvers in helping her where he would also find himself coming close to a romantic relationship with her. Milo Machado-Graner is phenomenal as Daniel Maleski as a blind boy who would be the one to find his father’s body as he copes with not just his father’s death but also trying to understand what happened. It is a performance filled with intrigue and heartbreak where a boy is trying to understand as well as gather up memories of his life with his dad. Finally, there’s Sandra Huller in a sensational performance as Sandra Voyter as a writer who is troubled by her husband’s death as well as becoming a suspect as she is forced to reflect on the chaos of her marriage which would lead a strain on her relationship with her son.
Anatomie d’une chute is an outstanding film by Justine Triet that features great performances from Sandra Huller and Milo Machado-Graner. Along with its supporting ensemble cast, vibrant visuals, and a compelling story about death and things people could not understand. It is a suspense-drama that is intricate in its exploration of relationships as well as a woman and her son trying to deal with the chaos over what had happened. In the end, Anatomie d’une chute is a magnificent film by Justine Triet.
Justine Triet Films: Age of Panic - In Bed with Victoria - Sibyl
© thevoid99 2024
