Greta

Greetings again from the darkness. "Don't touch anything on the subway." That should be a warning posted in all New York City tourist brochures. Recent NYC transplant Frances didn't get the memo. She not only picks up a "lost" handbag, but also wants to personally return it to the rightful owner - despite the counseling of her streetwise roommate. Oscar winning director Neil Jordan (THE CRYING GAME) co-wrote the screenplay with Ray Wright, and they blend in many elements ... not the least of which is making friends with someone you shouldn't.

Chloe Grace Moretz plays Frances as the good-hearted Boston-raised girl who is almost too innocent to believe, given the day and age we are in. When Frances returns the purse, she is greeted warmly and appreciatively by a kindly Greta (Isabelle Huppert). The two bond over their individual loneliness: Greta says her daughter lives abroad, and Frances' mother passed away about a year ago. It's easy to see how a friendship forms through a substitute mother-daughter gap-filling.

An accidental discovery by Frances sends her out the door, intent on cutting ties with Greta. What Frances soon learns is that Greta is a crafty psychopath of the highest order. It's at this point where filmmaker Jordan kicks in the twisted, dark humor and serves us a cheap-thrills ride via a full blown stalker movie. Greta is truly deranged and once Ms. Huppert cuts loose, we see how much fun she's having. She even plays a piano teacher, which is kind of funny since she was also the piano teacher in THE PIANO TEACHER (2001). She becomes my first and favorite Liszt loving psychopath, who likely isn't as technologically challenged as she makes out.

There are stylistic and story elements reminiscent of movies like FATAL ATTRACTION and SINGLE WHITE FEMALE, and Jordan's camera angles and lighting combine with Javier Navarrete's score to dish up some B-movie type comically dark moments. Maika Monroe (IT FOLLOWS) is terrific as Frances' roommate. She's the direct type who tells Frances that "this city will eat you alive", but is also extremely supportive and protective (and good at yoga).

Stephen Rea and Colm Feore appear in limited roles, but the fun you have here is directly related to how you buy into the Greta vs Frances web. It's rare to see an onscreen female predator, but neither Mr. Jordan nor Ms. Huppert round off any edges. We are reminded that being nice doesn't always pay off, but having friends certainly does. There is some creepy evil fun to be had, as well as a key life lesson: never trust a woman with too many purses.

I have been in this well of loneliness, this black hole. Maybe it drove me a little mad. We were meant for love, Frances, not this terrible isolation.

If you see the film "Greta" pass by on your favorite streaming platform or on some VOD network service, it's certainly not a bad choice to fill up an hour and a half of your spare time. The film itself is certainly not groundbreaking or breathtakingly innovative. This Hitchcock-like thriller provides temporary entertainment. And the only thing you'll remember of it is the acting. Unfortunately, an important clue is given away very early at the beginning of the film, making it extremely clear which direction it's going to go.

Let me get straight to the point. Isabelle Huppert is simply fantastic as Greta. A friendly-looking widow, living somewhere in New York in a lovely little house stuck between apartments, who spends her lonely days with everyday things. Her husband has died and her daughter is studying at a conservatory in France. The other main role is taken in by Chloë Grace Moretz. She plays Frances. A young adult who works as a waitress in a chic restaurant and leads a carefree life together with her best friend Erica (Maika Monroe). She's an adorable girl and sincere. And just like Greta, she has to deal with the sorrow of a loss. Her mother died of cancer the year before.

It all starts with Frances finding a handbag on the metro. Since she's as honest as the day is long, she decides to return this precious item to the rightful owner. Despite the loud protest from her friend Erica ("Okay, this is Manhattan. You find a bag, you call bomb squad") who would rather pay for a wellness weekend with the money found in it. However, Frances doesn't realize that she will soon end up in a spiral of psychological intimidation and outright stalking. A maddening, unlivable situation that will convince her that when she comes across such a handbag once again, she'll kick it in the Upper Bay. It starts as a close friendship between two soulmates. And that includes going for a walk together, getting a dog and doing some cooking. Afterward, it seems to be nothing more than a charade. A scenario sprouted from the mad brain of Greta.

It's the acting of both actresses that lifts this film just above average. The storyline, on the other hand, isn't of the same level. In terms of style, it's not too original and the film follows the laid path made by several films from the past. Even the attempt, in the end, to send you off in the wrong direction, wasn't clever enough. So don't expect a thriller that can be compared with "Single white female" for instance. You'll witness a psychological joust between the two main characters. It's brilliant to see how such a lovely, old lady can turn into an ice-cold, crazy and sadistic woman. And this with the same facial expressions. For that alone, it's worth giving this average film a chance.

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Poor, unimaginative and illogical script. Protagonists continuously made unrealistically silly decisions and everything always end up with the worst possible result. I know we have to suspend disbelief to enjoy works of fiction but come on...there still needs to be a semblance in reality of how folks make decisions and odds play out. Sequence of events were so far fetched that it was obvious the writer/s were simply trying to keep story going to fill an average movie run time. The mere fact that victim, a younger and fitter female can not overcome the villain, an old and frail lady, sums up the irrationality of this film.

In GRETA, Frances (Chloe Grace Moretz) happens upon a lost handbag on the subway, and decides to simply return it to its owner, the older woman of the title (Isabelle Huppert). Frances strikes up a friendship with Greta, who is lonely and sort of reminds her of her late mother. All is well until Frances makes a bizarre, terrifying discovery.

This movie plays with the idea of being seriously targeted by someone who is doing it out in the open, while the law is unable to stop the perpetrator, and even protects them. It's pretty infuriating, and leads up to a final nightmare for Frances.

Ms. Huppert's character is exquisitely demented. Her unflinching portrayal is chilling. Ms. Moretz plays a kindly woman in an unbearable situation. While Frances is rather wimpy, she does rise up at one point, causing some damage to her tormentor. Not a bad movie at all, although the finale is a bit abrupt...

The first half of this film is really good. The suspense builds throughout and a good story develops. Then, a scenario occurs in which there is only one obvious course of action and when the protagonists inexplicably do something else, all interest in the movie is lost because, from that point on, you will be distracted by the question "Why have they not just....?"