Suspiria (2018)

Act 1: What do you think you are?

Luca Guadagnino certainly doesn't do things in half. Call Me By Your Name was almost too romantic, too pleasant and too lush. Suspiria, on the other hand, takes a hard left and fully leans into the insane and the occult. Now, there is a very clear through line. But if you think that will stop Guadagnino from mind effing you at every turn then you’ll be severely mistaken. Unlike in most movies, the confusion is not because of a convoluted plot or inter-leaving storylines. The confusion comes from the intention, not of the characters but of the filmmakers. It is hard to pin down exactly what Guadagnino is trying to achieve or say here. There’s some political subtext, references to feminism and themes like guilt, authoritarianism, friendship, and motherhood. The tone is also strange. I was at various parts of the movie bored, tense, horrified and amused. There are some interesting technical choices, especially in terms of camera movements, editing, and sound design. The choreography is completely bonkers in the best way possible. And to top it all of, Tilda Swinton, for some reason is playing more than one role (didn’t realize it at first, someone pointed it out to me).

Act 2: Bug a boo

Suspiria also joins the likes of “Mother”, “It Follows”, and “Hereditary” as being criminally mismarketed by their respective studios. All the press junkets, the trailers, and posters are selling it as a straight up scary dancing picture; a mix of “Step Up” and “Rosemary’s Baby” if you like. But the scares are very rare if there at all. There is some of the best body horror of recent times but beyond that, the movie relies on atmosphere and suspense. The whole movie is drenched in that eerie feeling of not knowing what’s around the corner. And Guadagnino never gives you the catharsis of finding out what actually is around the corner at least until the very very end. Which may annoy those who were expecting more conventional frights.

Act 3: no dejemos que muera el amor

If nothing else, Suspiria is brilliantly cast. The women who run the dance academy are suitably mysterious and untrustworthy. The girls enrolled in the academy all exude a sense of charisma. Not all of them get lines but their faces and postures are enough to give each of them a vivid sense of history and character. Dakota Johnson is simultaneously hard to read and expressive. We can tell she has something going on inside her head but it's never easy to figure out what is it that’s troubling her. She also does a good job of portraying the character’s transition from naivety to assuredness. Finally, Tilda is as good as you’d expect her to be. She is enigmatic. She is intense. She is frazzled and she’s heartbroken.

Epilogue

The movie is hard to rate and recommend. It is certainly a unique cinematic experience. It is bound to make several best of the year as well as several worst of the year lists. It could also be an outside awards contender in soundtrack, production and costume design and maybe even supporting actress for Tilda Swinton. But more than anything else it is a singular vision of a veteran artist brought to life on the big screen and for that alone its worth celebrating.