A review by Brooks Rich
I am going to admit a fault in myself to start this review. Recently Robert Pattinson was announced as the new Batman. My immediate reaction was, of course, disgust and disinterest. The sparkly vampire from the Twilight series is Batman? Give me a break. But that's very judgmental of me. Pattinson accepted a job and did the best he could. Look at films like The Lost City of Z, Good Time and High Life, or even the trailer for Robert Eggers new film The Lighthouse, to see how good Pattinson is. He actually might work as Batman. We should not judge an actor based on one character they portray. The same could be said for Pattinson's Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart. She's gotten a reputation as a wooden actress who shows no interest on screen and acts like a robot when delivering her lines. Well…… today we have a film that shows how strong of an actress she can be…2016's hauntingly beautiful ghost film, Personal Shopper.
Stewart plays Maureen, a young woman who has accepted a job in Paris as the personal shopper for a spoiled celebrity because Maureen's late brother used to own the celebrity's home. Maureen is looking for a sign from her brother, as she has always been connected to the after life, seeing and hearing things. But things get complicated when she is confronted by a spirit that is not her brother and someone starts sending her mysterious text messages.
This is one of those films where I don't want to reveal too much. I am already worried I’ve done just that. But there are two things that really stand out to me about this film. One is how good Stewart is at portraying this woman who is at a crossroads – wanting closure with her dead brother and also trying to make sense of her own life.
The second is how good the film is at building a sense of dread and then having that pay off with a terrifying sequence near the end of the film. Ghost films often try to scare people with constant jump scares. Eventually we become desensitized to them and they lose their effect. Personal Shopper picks its moments. It's not really a horror film in the traditional sense, but it has one of the best terrifying sequences of the past few years.
This film won't be for everyone. It's a very slow burn, almost meditative at times. It's also not a traditional narrative. It's focus is more a character study of Maureen and the exploration of her being a medium. For those wanting something made with a more European flair, some French New Wave mixed with old school thrillers, give Personal Shopper a watch.
I am going to admit a fault in myself to start this review. Recently Robert Pattinson was announced as the new Batman. My immediate reaction was, of course, disgust and disinterest. The sparkly vampire from the Twilight series is Batman? Give me a break. But that's very judgmental of me. Pattinson accepted a job and did the best he could. Look at films like The Lost City of Z, Good Time and High Life, or even the trailer for Robert Eggers new film The Lighthouse, to see how good Pattinson is. He actually might work as Batman. We should not judge an actor based on one character they portray. The same could be said for Pattinson's Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart. She's gotten a reputation as a wooden actress who shows no interest on screen and acts like a robot when delivering her lines. Well…… today we have a film that shows how strong of an actress she can be…2016's hauntingly beautiful ghost film, Personal Shopper.
Stewart plays Maureen, a young woman who has accepted a job in Paris as the personal shopper for a spoiled celebrity because Maureen's late brother used to own the celebrity's home. Maureen is looking for a sign from her brother, as she has always been connected to the after life, seeing and hearing things. But things get complicated when she is confronted by a spirit that is not her brother and someone starts sending her mysterious text messages.
This is one of those films where I don't want to reveal too much. I am already worried I’ve done just that. But there are two things that really stand out to me about this film. One is how good Stewart is at portraying this woman who is at a crossroads – wanting closure with her dead brother and also trying to make sense of her own life.
The second is how good the film is at building a sense of dread and then having that pay off with a terrifying sequence near the end of the film. Ghost films often try to scare people with constant jump scares. Eventually we become desensitized to them and they lose their effect. Personal Shopper picks its moments. It's not really a horror film in the traditional sense, but it has one of the best terrifying sequences of the past few years.
This film won't be for everyone. It's a very slow burn, almost meditative at times. It's also not a traditional narrative. It's focus is more a character study of Maureen and the exploration of her being a medium. For those wanting something made with a more European flair, some French New Wave mixed with old school thrillers, give Personal Shopper a watch.
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