Thankfully, Amazon Studios has taken an interest in producing and distributing quality indie cinema. So far in 2018, they released a handful of quality options including my favorite film so far this year, You Were Never Really Here, and the critically acclaimed Beautiful Boy. Let’s not forget they also helped distribute last year’s awards season darling, The Big Sick, as well. Their eye for quality is readily apparent and they aren’t shy about collaborating, which works out great for the consumer. Suspiria is a disturbing and visceral masterpiece that sheds the shackles of “remake” and steps out of the shadow of its predecessor.
Let’s be frank, despite a cult following and positive reputation within the gothic horror genre, Dario Argento’s 1977 original film is the product of a bygone era and didn’t age very well. Outside of Joan Bennet and Udo Kier, the acting is poor in the majority of the dominant roles which made it difficult to invest in. The original music was intense and creepy but edited so oddly, it acted as its own character rather than an invisible guiding hand. The story itself was interesting, which has given it legs for all these years but, as a film, it relied far too heavily on scaring its audience with sounds and visuals rather than emotional tension. In an era where remakes and reboots have become the norm, regardless of demand or necessity, this was a story that could benefit greatly from some modernization.
Call Me By Your Name director Luca Guadagnino helmed this remake and it seems only right that the torch would pass to a fellow Italian. While the characters and the story are cut from the same cloth, this was a much different film than the original. The Oscar nominee’s voyeuristic approach to filmmaking worked particularly well with this story, cultivating a deep sense of mystery and anticipation…two elements sorely missing from modern horror. If you have seen any of Guadagnino’s films, you’ll know pacing isn’t exactly his forte as he favors building a substantial foundation with dialogue and extended scene setting. That’s on full display here over the whopping two-hour and 32-minute runtime but filming on location in Germany and Italy provided important authenticity for the actors and the audience. He also did a masterful job building intrigue through subtlety, showing just enough to let the audience know there was something much grander waiting to be revealed…a thread that would unravel a much larger garment. The 47-year-old displayed a very sharp understanding of the source material and used it to generate strong, complementary performances from his cast that all pointed in the same direction. His talent as a filmmaker is readily apparent, but it will be interesting to see where this falls at the end of the year.
David Kajganich adapted Daria Nicolodi and Argento’s original screenplay but kept the spirit of the original intact. At the center of the story, there is a mystery that’s unfolding around a handful of key characters. There was significantly more groundwork this time around, with an extra hour of runtime to mold the finale. Based on the original characters, Kajganich’s dialogue was better suited for emotional resonance. Flushing out the character design and providing the audience with people to invest in was one of the most important elements of rebuilding the source material. It was smart to not completely lose the European feel either; including other spoken languages was important in capturing the intangibles of the original. The screenplay provided some legitimate mystery and tension which made the extended journey worth investing in.
Dakota Johnson was surprisingly strong in the lead playing Susie Bannion, an American dance student who joins a prestigious dance academy in Berlin. Her work in the Fifty Shades franchise didn’t exactly speak volumes about her potential but it did put her on the map and here she is. This was a very difficult and eclectic role, to say the least, and she didn’t shy away from it. It was both physical and demanding. Johnson didn’t just have to dance, she often lost herself in the performance art aspect of the film and let that raw energy manifest within her. Her performance went a long way in providing credibility to the story and the prestige of the professional dance group.
Tilda Swinton first worked with Guadagnino nearly 20-years ago on The Protagonists and they have been kindred spirits ever since. She lent her robust talents to him once again, playing the eccentric dance instructor Madame Blanc. If the one role wasn’t enough for her, she jumped genders to play psychiatrist and amateur private investigator Dr. Josef Klemperer. Two can be as sad as one, so she triple dipped and played one of the dance academy’s founding members, Helena Markos, as well. Swinton is never one to back down from the challenge of an interesting character (or three) and she was able to put her own personal spin on each of them. With a cast comprised of mostly younger and/or widely unknown actresses on the American scene, it was critical to have a dominant veteran presence. Of the three roles, Blanc was probably the most prominent and Swinton brought a great deal of passion to the portrayal. This isn’t likely going to get recognized this year, but all of her creativity and diversity as an artist was on display in this film.
One of those young (and mostly unknown) actresses was Mia Goth. She starred opposite Dane DeHaan in another creepy, stylized horror film, A Cure For Wellness, last year but we didn’t get to see much of ability there. Goth took on a much larger and more important role in this story as Sara, another dancer in the troop who befriends Susie but begins to question the secretive nature of the company when her friend Patricia goes missing after an apparent mental breakdown. While witnessing strange changes in Susie, Sara is a narrator of sorts; going from blissful ignorance to unbridled curiosity. This was a strong dramatic turn for Goth who had been cast mostly on the strength of her modeling career.
Inbal Weinberg took on the production design and crafted a very different aesthetic than the original film. Set in Berlin in 1977, this rendition was decidedly less colorful than its predecessor. Weinberg painted a significantly drearier picture against the backdrop of the Cold War and segregated by the Berlin Wall. The whole visual aesthetic is comparatively muted and far more grounded as a result. Even Giulia Piersanti’s wardrobe was toned down with heavy neutrals. As a result, the primary focus is pointed towards the mystery and suspense at the center of the story.
Sayombhu Mukdeeprom served as cinematographer on Call Me By Your Name and returned to provide period authenticity to the shoot. The cinematography was so very 70s and I mean that as a compliment. Many of the techniques that dominated horror movies of that era were used here with great effect. There were a lot of hard zooms and varied panning, with plenty of off-center shots mixed in and good use of the internal structure. The mirrored room was an especially photogenic environment that amplified some powerful scenes. Plenty of awkward close-ups created an uncomfortable intimacy and the use of natural lighting allowed the shadows to have their own life. It was a little overindulgent in its own artistry from time to time, but that’s also kind of what made it unique.
Over the course of two hours and 32-minutes, you’re going to need some strong original music to bridge the gaps and Thom Yorke put together a creepy and esoteric score to complement the visual journey of the film. His soundtrack is so robust, it’s actually 25 tracks on a double album. The original song, Suspirium, provided a soft juxtaposition to the story and is getting some radio play; a perfect fit for a Guadagnino film. Much of the soundtrack is a mix of piano and string instruments but the gothic vocals add an extra layer of creepiness. This was the first time Yorke has composed music for a full-length feature film, but he could very well find himself acting in this capacity again very soon.
This movie isn’t going to be everyone’s cup of tea. It’s really well done but more about the journey than the destination. As a piece of cinematic artistry, this was a stand-alone effort and a great representation of how to elaborate and expand on an existing idea when taking on a remake.
Recommendation: For fans of the 1977 original, this is a must see. Anyone who enjoyed Call Me By Your Name should also enjoy the artistry. It is more than two-and-a-half hours, which is quite the investment these days. It’s sensual and erotic without being overtly or explicitly sexual. For a horror film, it’s more disturbing than it is graphic…at least most of the time. Enter at your own risk.