Review of The Beguiled (2017) by Michael S — 17 Sep 2017

Sofia Coppola reworks "The Beguiled" into a densely atmospheric slow-burn; a Southern-Gothic mood piece of expertly ratcheted tension and an absolutely wondrous, ominous sense of place. The technical side of this film is brilliant and is among Coppola's most accomplished works to date.

Equally accomplished is the performances which are uniformly excellent. Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, and Kirsten Dunst shine alongside a wealth of young performers delivering work well beyond their years.

I appreciate how well "The Beguiled" functions as a sort of multifaceted entertainment. I think it fully succeeds as a surface-level yarn (albeit one with an ending that can be met with mutters of "what was the point," which is exactly what happened at my screening) but can also be viewed and interpreted in a myriad ways.

Whether you absorb Coppola's film as a feminist allegory, anti-feminist allegory, or any other, it never feels condescending or comes off as anything less than authentic. "The Beguiled" is one of the best films of the year.