The Beguiled (2017)
2017
91 Minutes
During the Civil War, at a Southern girls’ boarding school, young women take in an injured enemy soldier. As they provide refuge and tend to his wounds, the house is taken over with sexual tensio...
User Review
-
**700TH FILMFED REVIEW** The Beguiled offers quaint sumptuous thrills amidst an average screenplay. Critics lapped this up like a cat devouring milk, and to be honest I can see why. Coppola becoming the second woman to win best director at Cannes was certainly a boost in attracting praise and audiences, and without a doubt her direction was the stand out in what is an extremely slow melodrama. A Union Army corporal is found wounded by a group of girls from a secluded school, where sexual tension rapidly rises. Depicting how a man utilises flirtation to feed off the attention that the female characters give him. Female empowerment in films is becoming more prevalent as time dwindles by, the need to be politically correct has never been so critical. Coppola manages to be realistic with her characters which is somewhat refreshing. The girls succumb to the corporal's presence as they giggle and flirt back with him. Then, after a spontaneous passionate event, the girls naturally turn against him and act as one unit. Illustrating the savagery and ruthless behaviour of one man in a well-mannered society. Gender politics aside, Coppola just about retains enough tension to keep you captivated, particularly the third act. Where she struggles is with the characterisation of the women, with many of them being forgettable aside from Miss Farnsworth and Edwina. The harmonious community would've felt more apt with some elevated clashes between these characters, I'm not saying they have to resort to bickering but jealousy should've been used with more innovation to create tension. Kidman, Farrell and Dunst gave strong performances without dominating the screen. Costume design looked authentic and suited the 1860s plantation house that these characters resided in. But it's Coppola's directing techniques that allows the opulent slow-built thrills to be produced. Deliberately gentle, carefully constructed and meticulously thorough. The Beguiled, much like its title, ensnared me into Coppola's seductive direction and the cast's engrossing performances. Oh, and that last shot was mesmerisingly powerful.0 member like this review.
