Greta

photo courtesy of justjared.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     In Greta, a young waitress named Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) finds a handbag abandoned on the subway. It belongs to Greta (Isabelle Huppert), a lonely widow, with whom Frances unexpectedly bonds. They enjoy each other’s company… until Frances discovers Greta’s secret. Then, what began as an unlikely friendship devolves into a dangerous obsession.

     Greta falls squarely into the realm of B-horror; the question is whether, in this case, that’s a good thing. The movie’s premise—that a crazy woman leaves behind handbags with the intention of luring unsuspecting strangers—is ripe with possibilities, and the presence of accomplished French actress Huppert certainly lends some gravitas to the proceedings. But Greta doesn’t seem to know how to capitalize on any of its assets, settling for tired old tropes instead.

photo courtesy of theringer.com

     None of Greta’s component pieces look like anything other than B-horror. The acting (apart from Huppert) is poor, the characters are thin to the point of breaking, and many scenes are borrowed from somewhere else. The story indulges in obvious misdirection and cheap tricks to escalate the drama.

     But where a good B-movie uses its shlocky raw materials to create something unabashedly fun, Greta never generates much interest at all. We don’t believe any of the characters enough to feel tension when they’re in danger, and Greta’s delirious villainy, even with Huppert’s surprisingly committed performance, feels recycled.

photo courtesy of indiewire.com

     Is Greta accomplishing something else? Satire, self-awareness, or the like? Thematic meditations on love and grief? Possibly, but I think that’s giving the movie too much credit. If the filmmakers intended to insert anything under the surface, it gets lost in Greta’s derivative storyline. Without anything new to breathe life into the movie, Greta is more monotonous than frightening.

Greta is rated R for some violence and disturbing images.

TRAILER