Obsessão

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.

The acting was great and there was definitely some real suspense created but also a lot of cliche and unbelievable things occurred (mostly things secondary to the plot actually). I felt that the movie could have been shorter/ended earlier. Overall though the movie was very well acted and enjoyable. Left with a slightly different (and more cautious) view of the world.

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.

Fairly straightfoward and predictable, but nonetheless Huppert brings a chilling performance as the unhinged title character that may make you wary of helping strangers out from now on.

The big reveal is spoiled in the trailers, and it come pretty early on. It would've been better had it been delayed a little, after the 2 characters had spent more time together and a few scenes of Greta acting crazy at times to have Frances grow some suspicion.

But the main problem is how illogical/stupid the other characters are, beginning with Frances either unable or unwilling to block Greta's number despite the obvious problems, and upping the ante with the ending.

All the ridiculousness is summed up one face-palm worthy quote: "What do we tell the police?" Gee, what actually happened might be a good idea.

A little like "fatal attraction," or "misery," and a lot predictable. BUT, the acting is really good and it has some genuine creepiness to it without the gore, sex, swearing, and jump scares that most modern horror movies desperately resort to. Solid and entertaining.