It plays out like a scene from Little Shop of Horrors as Audrey dreams about her idyllic lifestyle, the quaint community around Edward in Edward Scissorhands, or Lester and Carolyn in American Beauty. Lush green grass, sparkling new cars, bright colours, perfectly clean houses with everyone getting along with everyone else as close friends.
Frank has created this community (The Victory Project) with his wife Shelley and everyone is tight-lipped about the work that the men go off to do every morning, en masse, waved goodbye to by the wives - who then contentedly go about their social daytime activities and preparing for their husbands to return in the evening. Frank gainfully employs the men it seems, and it's all a bit top-secret, even from the wives.
The film takes too long setting all this up. I actually almost gave up on it as I approached half an hour of this scene-setting, but stuck around because Florence Pugh plays the lead, Alice, and she's worth watching the film for, alone. However, it does get going and the story starts to unfold. A story full of twists and turns and unexpected reveals and outcomes, so I'll say no more.
Yes, Florence Pugh steals the whole film from everyone else. It is clear that she is the most talented actor on display as the others try to match her, but don't get close. Olivia Wilde is also in the film as one of the wives, Harry Styles (who seems to get some bad press for not being much of an actor) plays Alice's husband Jack and Chris Pine plays the mysterious 'leader' Frank. None of the supporting cast do a bad job, it's just that Pugh outshines them all put together! Gemma Chan plays Shelley but doesn't really have much screen time. When she's in shot though she's doing as good a job as the rest of them.
It's difficult to know where to go from here, because there's so much hanging on the plot and outcomes that there's a huge risk of spoilers floating out there for anyone (even) reading between the lines, so I'd suggest that you just watch it and enjoy. There's other stuff to enjoy, too, like the visual landscape of what's on display in the community but also the thoughtful camerawork with creative angles, long shots, close focus and colours. At times it almost feels arthouse, but not quite!
The film doesn't quite get you perched on the edge of your seat, but it is a thriller of sorts and there is some level of suspense, even if not exploited to the full. The story does unfold nicely, in a structured manner, which adds substance to the mystery for the audience.
But it's really all about Florence Pugh. She really is staggeringly good to watch, so convincing and engaged with becoming Alice, carrying off the emotions and trauma both high and low beautifully. As I suggested earlier, I though Harry Styles did a decent enough job as the pair of them negotiate their way through the plot and situation. No, no spoilers. Stop!
There are many ways the audience can consume what's going on here and form their own takeaways in terms of meaning and message. Best to watch with an enquiring mind, but also be open to the potential meanderings, which lie in wait! That's it. I'm done! It's currently available to buy on various streaming services for those of us with lots of Google Reward Points (or equiv.) to use, but no doubt soon to rent.
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