Neil Jordan’s Greta tries really hard to tempt, catch, and thrill, but over the course of the run time, it becomes apparent that it’s an underwhelming tale that confuses and disappoints. While I give the film credit for its acting and premise, I would be reluctant to give it anything else. Written and directed by Neil Jordan and starring Chloë Grace Moretz and Isabelle Huppert, this film barely manages to maintain interest beyond its strong leading performances.
Greta follows Frances McCullen (Moretz) as she goes about her quiet life in Manhattan with her best friend and roommate Erica (Maika Monroe). Having recently lost her mother to cancer, Frances prefers to spend time alone while ignoring her father’s (Colm Feore) calls in between her work load as a waitress. Upon finding a lost handbag on the subway, Frances returns it to a lonely widow named Greta (Huppert) who she quickly befriends. Initially, Greta fills Frances’ maternal void, but as time goes on, Greta’s suspicious backstory begins to unravel and their relationship falls into distrust, jealousy, and extreme possessiveness.
The premise itself seems to be an exploration of trusting versus caution. I was excited to see how the film would address these issues, but I have to admit, by the end I didn’t feel like it brought anything interesting to the table. My feelings upon the resolution were incredibly mixed, and the whole movie was a continuous build up with no real satisfaction or climax. Several portions of the film seemed to be misdirected for the sake of confusion, and much of the narrative was fairly predictable. One of the reasons I was interested in Greta was the fact that the titular villain was a woman. Had Greta been a George or Gary, this film would’ve been no more than the typical unfortunate news story about the girl who walked home alone. The change in gendered archetypes presented potential for subversion, but even with Huppert’s performance and the character as it stands, there just isn’t enough substance to sustain my belief in her legitimacy as a villain.
That being said, there are things I appreciate about Greta. First and foremost are Huppert and Moretz’s performances. The duo create a hostile on screen dynamic that is chilling and wicked. Additionally, sharp eyed viewers will like the subtle, narrative explanations that can be found in the set design and help fill in character back story. I would still consider recommending Greta to my friends, but only for its generic thriller value. I felt scared and thrilled at the heightened moments, but it was too easily forgettable afterwards.
In the end, Greta strikes me as a noble attempt to thrill that misses the mark. The premise of this film has an immense amount of potential, and I would certainly like to see a redux of the same plot in a different movie. In all though, Greta tries too hard to impress, when all it has is a compelling cast with a mediocre storyline.
3 / 5 Stars