klastaitas

Grotesque and surreal body horror has had a slight resurgence recently (the films of Julia Ducournau come to mind) but so far not one has managed to step out from the restrictions of it's own genre and create an original movie; one which doesn't hold back in it's goriness or it's scathing social commentary. It's safe to say that Coralie Fargeat has done that.

The stunning cinematography, which switches between a commercial "advertisement" style to a more subdued and dark atmosphere, hones in on the ideas of consumer culture and body image which form the core of what the film wants to say. The diet coke product placement was so in your face that it's clearly a joke and even reminded me of the pepsi advert that played before the film started.

The performances from Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley are phenomenal with Qualley delivering a terrifying idea of beauty and sex appeal.

The costume and make-up department went above and beyond to create a horrifying creature and even a sperm-like breast which got a few chuckles and gasps at the cinema.

There is only one thing for me which stops it from being excellent and that is the odd voiceover repetition of certain lines and the insertion of some random shots that didn't do a whole lot. The voiceover repetition technique seems stale and old now more relegated to cheesy detective stories and cartoons.

Definitely the most interesting film I've seen this year and it makes me want more from Coralie Fargeat as she has proven herself to be a boundary-pushing filmmaker. It is also, to be embarrassingly honest, the funniest film I have seen in a long, long time - if you're not prepared to laugh at a freakish creatures get ready with me, braindead cokehead Hollywood executives and a demented old lady eating enough food for a dozen people...well, I'd consider watching something else. Something that won't make you concerned that behind every young Hollywood actress is a Cronenbergian creature locked in a cupboard.