andy’s review published on Letterboxd:
coming in at a mere hour and forty-three minutes it packs plenty into that time while also being able to capture the slow burn vibe. you are brought into the world of ayo edebiri’s ariel ecton, a writer at a magazine who is looking for her big break. she is searching for more as her boss continuously keeps her bottled up and not giving her the opportunity she desires. she is given this lucky break being in tied to alfred moretti’s (malkovich) long awaited album release weekend after a 30 year hiatus from the spotlight, sending every fan and news channel in a frenzy.
as we are introduced to moretti, malkovich gives a magnetically unhinged performance as what is easily distinguishable as the leader of a cult. his unsettling warmth which is so often found in these god-like leaders fools just about everyone including his followers, keeping them blind to the chaos brewing underneath the facade but ariel, and she wants to get to the bottom of it all to make sense of this strange world she’s now engulfed in.
it’s nothing we haven’t seen before, but you get shades of all the movies before it midsommar, the menu, blink twice and don’t worry darling. so if you are a fan of those you will definitely like this one. the themes of a bigger overarching plan being present but not known until it’s too late are present and leave you with an unnerving atmosphere with layers that pulls you in deeper with its web of deception.
