Suspiria (2018)

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1. 

   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. 5 years 5 months ago
2. 

   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. 4 years 6 months ago
3. 

   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. 5 years 4 months ago

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