Suspiria (2018)

Dario Argento's 1977 film 'Suspiria' is a masterpiece of cinema and a film one could call a living piece of art. So naturally when a remake was first announced back in 2007 there was some skepticism among people. Well it's 2018 and we finally receive the film and while it can never top Argento's classic, director Luca Guadagnino has made a film that stands on its own merits and works as a good companion piece alongside the original. The film does keep the skeleton of the original's story, that of a young woman named Susie Bannion (Dakota Johnson) who attends a dance academy run by a coven of witches. That is where the similarities end and the film goes off the rails into some of the most intense scenes I've seen in a film this year. We are shown each perspective of the academy and its sinister happenings throughout, with characters both on the inside and some on the outside. 

As soon as the film opens, you are thrown into a world that is cold, uncaring, and very unnerving and Guadagnino keeps this tone for the next 2 & a half hours. Unlike Argento's original, which was a vast array of colors and seemed to exist in a realm of fantasy, 2018's 'Suspiria' is set in Berlin at the height of the Cold War with threats of terrorism and general disarray surrounding everything. The film is more grounded and giving the feeling of more modern witchcraft films, such as 'The VVitch'. Argento wished to tell his tale like that of the fairy tales of old, while Luca wishes to discuss issues of feminism, abuse of power, & forgetting our past mistakes. These stronger themes don't cause the remake to surpass the '77 original, but I feel this iteration could be much easier to swallow for the general audience.

One of the film's biggest strengths is its choreography and the climatic dance scene, which are shot so beautifully and I never thought before this film that dancing could be so unsettling or downright disturbing. The film's most talked about scene involving a young woman in a room of mirrors has been heavily promoted as the film's highlight, and yes that scene is a stand out to be sure but they may be over-hyping it just a little bit. I feel the film's standout is in the last half-hour, when every little puzzle piece comes into place and we finally have an understanding of what is exactly going on inside the Markos Academy. It's an insane climax that will leave you speechless and genuinely unnerved. 

'Suspiria' 2018 has a great cast, with the stand out being the always excellent Tilda Swinton. Not only does she provide that aura with her performance as Madame Blanc, but she also plays two other major characters which I won't spoil here. She gives each persona a distinct feel and they are each developed so deeply that you won't even realize they're the same woman. Not to take away from the rest of our cast who are all excellent as well, especially Dakota Johnson who has won me over after her performance here & 'Bad Times at the El Royale' & Mia Goth, who provides one of the few sympathetic and warm characters in the film. If Swinton or Johnson aren't nominated for anything I will never understand why.

The score to 'Suspiria' is provided by Thom York, whom you'd know from the rock band Radiohead. He provides a slow & sporadic score that just put you on edge, with many pieces having that ever-increasing tempo during the dance scenes that reach that crescendo ever so well. Even the film's slower pieces, such as what I assume is the main theme is a melodic piano with some electronic mixed in. This is one of my new favorite pieces of music from a film and it feels heavily reminiscent of the 'Silent Hill 2' piano theme. If you can track down the score on Amazon, I recommend a listen.

2018's 'Suspiria' could have been a shameless beat for beat remake of the classic '77 version, but instead it takes it's own path using only the basics as solid ground. While one could argue that this could have been achieved as a stand alone film without using the name and structure of another, but I feel that it's more unique qualities helps make the film stand out where other remakes stick out like a sore thumb. This is not a film for everyone that's for sure, but even if one were to hate 'Suspiria', I still recommend one should at least view it once. It will likely be the most unusual and unique experience you'll have with a film this year.

5/5