I will admit I have not seen the original film (the Dario Argento horror classic), although I am led to believe that this is not a straight remake. The film is broken down into 6 acts including an epilogue, a structure that would make Quentin Tarantino proud (and we know he liked this film, Guadagnino himself said that Tarantino was in tears after a private screening). We have two stories playing out: one of an American dancer named Susie (Dakota Johnson) who travels to Berlin to join a dance troupe held in high esteem, and another of an elderly psychologist (Tilda Swinton in a gender-bending and uncanny performance) who is investigating the disappearance of one of the dancers who has gone missing.
The story is logical, linear, and in some aspects we might see where the inspiration behind "Black Swan" was sourced. Here we learn about the girls in this company, how they wake up, stretch, and go through fluid and natural exercises led by Madame Blanc (again, Tilda Swinton). She is a former dancer herself, working alongside a set of elder women who oversee the operation. The girls are not charged to attend this school, but they are expected to commit to the regimen. Susie, at first shy, quickly establishes herself as a willing subject, taking the lead and working one on one with Blanc to hone her skills.
Beneath the surface, and very quickly, we see everything that is not right. In the film's opening sequence, the missing dancer (played by Chloe Grace Moretz) divulges the secrets of this school to her doctor. That these women are witches, and that they will follow her to no end. "Delusions of grandeur" is just about all the doctor jots down in his notebook. It's not even by act 2 that we come to see the truth... The film's first introduction to the horror is one that will be in my mind for weeks: that of a dancer who's movement rips apart the body of another through some sort of spell. This isn't "Rosemary's Baby" in which we are left guessing until the finale. The stakes are very clear and are established in plain sight. Perhaps that's what helps add to the suspense of it all.
At 2.5 hours, this film might feel like a drag, but with some of the most effective editing of the year, the story paces along. There is a visual language that is so clearly Guadagnino (who directed Call Me By Your Name last year and other Italian greats like "I Am Love"). The camera oftentimes lazily drifts around, our perspective shifts, the editing is not paced... It's unsettling in a way that is difficult to place. In another film, we would not notice. The clever way this film is assembled is just another layer to the madness. Viewers might question the constant intercutting to this elderly doctor, and old man who walks slow and talks quietly. You might ask yourself until the very end, when Susie and he finally have a conversation in the final scene, and it's a moment that might bring tears to your eyes if you are still engaged in the story. I sure was.
From dance sequences with razor sharp editing to the climax, a horrifying sequence in the school's basement that is shot entirely in red light and feels like a nightmare, this is a movie I will be thinking about for a while. What makes it so effective is that there are no aspects of this film that rely on modern horror conventions. This is a style that is long gone. It's refreshing to see, and especially exhilarating when it's accomplished so well. I know many people will find distain for this film. Many might outright hate it. All I can advise is to go in with an open mind and to view it not a a "slasher" but as a mystery. Maybe even melodrama. Across all aspects, this is one of the most impressive movies I've seen all year.
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