«Greta»: a horror, but not in a good way

Cinema Wednesdays - Lauriane Pipoz

Frances McCullen (Chloë Grace Moretz) finds a bag left behind on the New York subway. As a good citizen, she decides to return it in person to its owner. It turns out to be Greta Hideg (the remarkable Isabelle Huppert), a lonely woman who invites her for coffee. They become friends. That is, until the young woman discovers a series of bags identical to the first one, each accompanied by a Post-it note bearing the name and phone number of the young women who found them. But it’s not so easy to cut ties with Greta, who, in Frances’s eyes, transforms from a surrogate mother into a determined stalker. What follows is a game of cat and mouse through the streets and venues of New York.

The original synopsis of Greta had everything going for it. Coupled with a cast that looked solid on paper, this new thriller It looked thrilling. Especially since the trailer—which was so well done, both in terms of cinematography and sound—was blood-curdling! The problem is that even though this impeccable style—carefully crafted camera angles, gripping music, and seasoned lead actors—remains consistent throughout the film, it unfortunately serves a hollow narrative. The story sorely lacks depth, as do its utterly stereotypical characters. 

The naive blonde and the crazy old lady

As we all know, the only people likely to bring home an honest bag are gullible and risk-takers. Greta This is confirmed once again, making us jump out of our skin when the main character and her friend decide it’s a good idea to sneak into their tormentor’s house all by themselves or to walk home at night through pitch-black alleys.

This aspect of the film has at least one merit: it shows that the director (Neil Jordan) knows how to build suspense. With the help of the music, he knows how to ramp up the tension and keeps us on the edge of our seats for long, intense minutes. This is especially true during the second half of the film, when the manhunt begins and we witness a surprising series of twists and turns.

Unfortunately, to appreciate this second half, you have to have sat through the entire first half, which drags on. The chemistry between Chloë Grace Moretz and Isabelle Huppert is highly questionable: although both are very good on their own, the former’s very American style of acting and the latter’s French style don’t mesh well at all, which undermines the film’s credibility. This credibility is further strained by the characters’ one-dimensional psychology, which is clearly highlighted by dialogue that’s as flat as can be—sometimes during unnecessarily long and tedious phone calls.

Music and visual appeal to make up for a poor script

It is certainly for these reasons that we sometimes find ourselves hoping that misfortune will befall the main character and her best friend, which overshadows the film’s central issue: the authorities’ inaction in the face of harassment. This issue could have been explored in a very interesting way if long stretches of the film hadn’t been wasted on empty dialogue delivered by poorly developed characters. The screenplay does a very poor job of developing the basic story, which consequently feels very hollow.

The nonverbal aspect is, however, far more interesting, thanks to stunning visuals created using mirrors, staircases, and original camera movements. The music is also used to great effect, and we hear classical music at moments when we least expect it. Its use makes this thriller a little less uninteresting, since it’s formally different. This is thanks in large part to Isabelle Huppert, who made the most of it in an original scene where she conveys her character’s madness through improvised dance moves, and in a beautiful moment where she tells her story while playing the piano.

Although it fits the cliché of horror movies with poor dialogue and stupid characters, Greta It does, however, stand out somewhat from the crowd of run-of-the-mill horror movies, since it doesn't just rely on cranking up the volume to keep the viewer engaged. The music is used effectively, and the shots are well-executed enough to make us forget, at times, the script’s lack of substance. Unfortunately, these elements aren’t nearly enough to make us remember Greta as a good thriller.

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Photo credits: © Ascot Elite Entertainement