This sucks. It's like a bad student art film. Though the ladies using a hook to fuck with a dude's dick was top notch. This is the kind of film that pretends to say a lot about art and women and motherhood and the Holocaust but says really nothing at all.
An arthouse horror movie that's ashamed to lean too far into horror, so it decides to be pretentious and boring instead to try and convince you that it's "saying something". I probably would have loved it if Guadagnino had cut 50 minutes out and jettisoned the unnecessary, nonsensical "twist" at the end.
I liked the way he tried to make his own movie, for 2/3 of the movie everything make sense, in a certain way, but you are waiting for an answer. The last part, sadly, is pure trash. Look like he didn't know how to end it.
It's just pathetic.
Useless to say, the original is way far far far far.
Listen...someone fucking fainted at my screening. I felt a coldness and an underlying anger I’ve never felt in a movie theater before. That was IMMACULATE.
2018's Suspiria takes Argento's original's premise, mythos and characters and makes something completely different out of it, the biggest divergence being Suzie's agency and role in the drama. Guadagnino sets his story in 1977 Berlin, the year the original came out, and my reading of it is consequently mostly political. The fact that the film keeps referring to Nazis with Berliners living in the shadow of the Nazi regime (i.e. the Wall, and indeed divisions are a leitmotif), an ancillary character having lost a wife to the concentration camps, and "former" Nazis still holding office, becomes a mirror for the dance academy, and explains the revolution of the ending. I think the movie is largely about national guilt and a new generation wiping away the previous one's sins by taking power themselves so they can eventually birth a new Germany. Mothers and the replacement of mothers by daughters is certainly a theme. The body is also a recurring element, which makes sense for a story about dancers studying in a building that seems almost alive. There's a lot to unpack in this Suspiria, almost too much in fact. I'm not sure Guadagnino really makes the grotesque climax work, for example, and that's in part due to our having to process final act revelations (which are earned). Definitely still works as a conversation piece though - we were still at it the next day. But is it scary? It has its moments. It never gets better than Olga's fate, which is a masterful use of dance, percussion and editing, but the rest of the film shows the director can make us edgy with camera movement, sound, and nightmarish imagery. Sustain it, maybe not. When his interests shift to the old doctor, for example, the editing remains great, but the tension evaporates. It's not clear until late in the game what his role actually is. Ultimately, I think this is a better, richer story than the original, even if Argento's is the more iconic horror film. Good on Guadagnino for going his own way and not trying to ape a master. His Suspiria might otherwise have been redundant and unnecessary. Instead, it stands on its own two feet.
Love how different it was to the original. Same basic concept but with added complexities and different execution. I also like that Guadagnino didn't even try to replicate Argento's style. It's very much a Luca Guadagnino film, which makes for a refreshing experience even to those who've seen the original.
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Comments 1 - 8 of 8
Pedr20
Gosh, this is so bad in every single aspect. Makes me love the original even more.Adrian B AWESOME
This sucks. It's like a bad student art film. Though the ladies using a hook to fuck with a dude's dick was top notch. This is the kind of film that pretends to say a lot about art and women and motherhood and the Holocaust but says really nothing at all.chaybee1
Pretentious garbage. To even call this movie "Suspiria" shows the ego of Luca.maarow
An arthouse horror movie that's ashamed to lean too far into horror, so it decides to be pretentious and boring instead to try and convince you that it's "saying something". I probably would have loved it if Guadagnino had cut 50 minutes out and jettisoned the unnecessary, nonsensical "twist" at the end.Falconcinemaniaco
I liked the way he tried to make his own movie, for 2/3 of the movie everything make sense, in a certain way, but you are waiting for an answer. The last part, sadly, is pure trash. Look like he didn't know how to end it.It's just pathetic.
Useless to say, the original is way far far far far.
satisfythecrave
Listen...someone fucking fainted at my screening. I felt a coldness and an underlying anger I’ve never felt in a movie theater before. That was IMMACULATE.Siskoid
2018's Suspiria takes Argento's original's premise, mythos and characters and makes something completely different out of it, the biggest divergence being Suzie's agency and role in the drama. Guadagnino sets his story in 1977 Berlin, the year the original came out, and my reading of it is consequently mostly political. The fact that the film keeps referring to Nazis with Berliners living in the shadow of the Nazi regime (i.e. the Wall, and indeed divisions are a leitmotif), an ancillary character having lost a wife to the concentration camps, and "former" Nazis still holding office, becomes a mirror for the dance academy, and explains the revolution of the ending. I think the movie is largely about national guilt and a new generation wiping away the previous one's sins by taking power themselves so they can eventually birth a new Germany. Mothers and the replacement of mothers by daughters is certainly a theme. The body is also a recurring element, which makes sense for a story about dancers studying in a building that seems almost alive. There's a lot to unpack in this Suspiria, almost too much in fact. I'm not sure Guadagnino really makes the grotesque climax work, for example, and that's in part due to our having to process final act revelations (which are earned). Definitely still works as a conversation piece though - we were still at it the next day. But is it scary? It has its moments. It never gets better than Olga's fate, which is a masterful use of dance, percussion and editing, but the rest of the film shows the director can make us edgy with camera movement, sound, and nightmarish imagery. Sustain it, maybe not. When his interests shift to the old doctor, for example, the editing remains great, but the tension evaporates. It's not clear until late in the game what his role actually is. Ultimately, I think this is a better, richer story than the original, even if Argento's is the more iconic horror film. Good on Guadagnino for going his own way and not trying to ape a master. His Suspiria might otherwise have been redundant and unnecessary. Instead, it stands on its own two feet.The Fable Muncher
Love how different it was to the original. Same basic concept but with added complexities and different execution. I also like that Guadagnino didn't even try to replicate Argento's style. It's very much a Luca Guadagnino film, which makes for a refreshing experience even to those who've seen the original.