REVENGE / CERT: 18 / DIRECTOR & SCREENPLAY: CORALIE FARGEAT / STARRING: MATILDA ANNA INGRID LUTZ, KEVIN JANSSENS, VINCENT COLOMBE / RELEASE DATE: OUT NOW
Well, that’s sure one hell of a way to make an impactful debut! Being known for making short films beforehand, French filmmaker Coralie Fargeat crafts an astonishing debut feature film that takes the rape-revenge sub-genre to a whole new level in Revenge, a twisted tale that centres on a young woman who’s left for dead after being sexually assaulted but manages to self-recover through an agonisingly painful and intense procedure. Afterwards, she decides to embark on a payback quest, transforming from a sex kitten mistress to a philandering husband to a vengeful, semiautomatic-wielding machine. Revenge is a balls-to-the-wall action thriller that pulls no punches, and huge plaudits go to Fargeat for managing to accomplish all of that without the film becoming exploitative or full of itself.
Fargeat has stated in many interviews how inspired she was by films like Spielberg’s Duel, Tarantino’s Kill Bill and Miller’s Mad Max to name a few, and you can definitely see those influences peppered throughout the film, but she’s able to inject her own signature style without making it feel clichéd or tired. After the opening 30 minutes of the film, the entire desert villa transforms from a sun-kissed, naturalistic setting into a cranked-up version of reality where the rich, burnt colours of the surroundings become oversaturated and hyper-stylised. Like the central protagonist, the film is going through a transformation of its own, thanks to Fargeat’s expert direction coupled with Robrecht Heyvaert’s gorgeous, dazzling cinematography, as well as the buzzing, pulsating score by Robin “Rob” Coudert.
However, at the centre of this revenge bloodbath is an utterly mesmerising performance from Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz who completely sells this character and the harrowing, transformative journey she goes on. When we see her early on, she’s the stereotypical, sexy Valley Girl, but it’s only after she goes through this harrowing event that she transforms into a battle-hardened angel of death, rising from the ashes like a phoenix (there’s even some on-the-nose symbolism involved there!). After that event, she doesn’t have any dialogue for the rest of the film, so Lutz deserves an enormous amount of credit for going through the changes the character needed to go through. She is able to convey the innocence, the pain and the rage brilliantly without saying much, and it’s a testament to Lutz for conveying so much emotion through the most subtle of facial expressions for most of the film. Hopefully, this’ll be the start of greater things to come from Lutz, whether that’s in film or TV, plus, if you notice, even her hair colour changes!
Revenge is a film that requires a huge suspension of disbelief; if you take this film incredibly seriously, it’s possible you’ll lose interest easily, but it’s worth noting that audiences should accept this film for what it is: a heightened genre flick. This is an exploitation action thriller film, tapping into the genre’s tropes and developing them in a way that feels unique and creative. Carolie Fargeat has crafted a film that promises great things for her career as a filmmaker, and Matilda Lutz gives a star-making performance that cements her as a rising star with tremendous promise. This is a film where what you see is what you get and, if you can accept that, then you’ll find plenty to like. Bear in mind, though, if you’re squeamish about blood and gore, this is definitely not for the faint hearted!
