Stay_away_from_the_Metropol

Well, this certainly takes the cake for most disturbing movie of the year. This year definitely had it's share of trauma-inducing moments between The Substance, Kinds of Kindness, The Beast, and more, but none are as committed to the tone and the message as cripplingly as Red Rooms. There are a handful of notable films that cover the topic of snuff from the last 40 years, but none of them have ever taken this approach: focusing on the sickos who participate in the purchasing and consumption of such abominable media, rather than focusing on the sickos who create it. I'd have to say that outside of maybe The Beast, this was the most intrigued I felt while watching a 2024 film. It also made me feel the most passionate about needing to understand every detail of what I just watched when it was over.

While the striking lead actress Juliette Gariepy may not give the performance of a lifetime as her character Kelly-Anne, she does manage to confuse the viewer enough to scare them, again and again throughout the film. This is an upper-tier case of "Are they a good guy or a bad guy?! I cannot figure out their intentions for the life of me!"

Red Rooms is a meticulously balanced French-Canadian psychological horror movie that will creep its way under your skin without you noticing, and when its over, it's highly likely you will feel as if you just watched something that is genuinely cursed, and maybe a little too real.

First, I just need to say, to all the people I spoke with before I saw this movie who told me "This movie is not horny, not hot, not sexy, not interesting, not good, should have gone straight to streaming, or, it was so boring", we are not the same. If you don't find this movie "horny", I honestly have no idea what could possibly capture on-screen sexuality to you outside of straight-up pornography. If this is not a "horny movie" to you, honestly, what is!? What were you expecting from this movie? I am dying to understand. My only thought is that perhaps people who don't understand the psychological basics of S&M don't understand what's going on here???

That aside, I naturally came into Babygirl expecting something "mid" and walked out extremely impressed by what I would consider a flawless film, and definitely a standout in the history of film. Nicole Kidman maintains her status as an absolute queen of delivering complex, provocative characters in erotically charged films that always manage to have just enough separation from one another, yet they are all fully believable as separate fleshed-out individuals (Eyes Wide Shut, and especially To Die For, come to mind first, the latter being one of my favorite movies ever). Noting that, it is INSANELY IMPRESSIVE that relatively new star Harris Dickinson (Triangle of Sadness, The Iron Claw, etc) could get dropped into a movie this intense and FULLY hold his own with the legend Kidman herself. Dickinson delivers one of the most complex and bizarre characters this year, remaining wholly unpredictable and mysterious in a very unique manner, even when the film is through.

This movie is a grower, not a shower, and it absolutely gets better as it goes, one scene after another, the tension slowly grows as it burns hotter and hotter. As things unfold, it becomes more and more clear that Dutch writer/director Halina Reijn has a deep understanding for people with sexual personalities and sexual preferences that go beyond the basic realm of "sex with the person you love". The film absolutely nails the way it showcases the double-edged sword of debauchery: the utmost thrill, and the utter plague.

If you need to see the good guys win in the end, Babygirl is not a movie for you. There are no angels in this film. Trouble is lurking around every corner. It's a film about inner psychological warfare, and it's very real. The soundtrack is phenomenal. The pacing is ace. I honestly can't believe this is by the same person who made Bodies Bodies Bodies - while that movie was fun, it was also pretty dumb (consciously though, I believe) - but this one is almost a spiritual opposite, bursting at the seams with sincere human complexity. I was beyond impressed. Definitely Top 10 of 2024.

Strong, strong movie but probably my least favorite Eggers offering thus far. Well, it's most comparable to The Witch in a multitude of ways, and on par with that, but I feel I would choose that simply because it was one of a kind. All of his other films are wildly original. This one kind of felt like "Why did you actually decide to make this when you could have made another unique film?"

Gorgeous looking movie. Paced very tastefully, but it feels as if Eggers chose coming off as tasteful over striving for entertainment. Though the movie was great overall, it dragged in the middle, and certainly could have used a solid 20-30 minutes cut from it. The middle portion is also the only portion that begins to feel rather cliche and formulaic, a bit too "this feels too much like too many other movies".

The last half hour was definitely the strongest portion in my opinion, and served as quite redeeming. I especially loved the finale - it is exquisite from all angles, but especially visually, and in its direction. I admit I could watch the ending over and over. It's quite incredible.

Another of the films only flaws would be in the casting/acting, in my opinion. While Nicolas Hoult held it all down very, very well. And I still can't believe that was Bill Skaarsgard - he is completely unidentifiable as Orlok, Aaron Taylor-Johnson and especially Lily Rose-Depp were unfortunately inconsistent. While they both had some very strong moments, for every impressive moment, there were just as many that were impossible to take seriously. And while they're both very talented, with a gothic tale meant to be this dramatic, romantic, and tragic - these moments of acting imperfection take away from the potential trance that this movie should otherwise have you in. Herzog's Nosferatu was great because it was one of the most dreamlike films I've ever seen - the whole thing plays like a fever dream and it's never broken - this is the way I feel a Nosferatu film should play. While Eggers' version certainly has its effective sequences, it, much like the aforementioned performances, does not remain consistent in this regard.

Those criticisms aside, Eggers' Nosferatu is still a very strong film. The environments, music, sound design, imagery, and most of the dialogue are excellent. There is much to love about this movie, as is the case with all of Eggers' work. Though it felt slow, I do admittedly already have the desire to see some of the sequences again. Of course, Willem Dafoe was also perfection, and the real show-stealer was the rat-king henchman under the spell of his dark lord. I can't access his name right now cuz I'm on an airplane as I write this, but he was the best part of the entire cast. Let me also say, this is better than 90% of contemporary American horror films, so that too is something to celebrate.