Greta

This latest film from Neil Jordan is a nerve-rattling thriller in which loneliness breeds malice. Featuring an especially captivating turn from the ever-versatile Isabelle Huppert, Greta exudes Jordan’s singular capacity for ushering gothic chills into a contemporary context.

A sweet, naïve young woman making a go of it in the Big Apple, Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) doesn’t think twice about returning the handbag she finds on the subway to its rightful owner. That owner is Greta (Huppert), a peculiar pianist with a predilection for Romantic music and a desperate need for company. Frances recently lost her mother and feels alienated by her father; Greta has lost her husband, and her daughter lives far away. The two become fast friends — but that friendship rapidly assumes ever more sinister hues as Greta’s attentions escalate.

Written by Jordan and Ray Wright, Greta wastes little time before plunging us into a vortex of obsession and manipulation, revealing its characters true nature little by little thanks to Jordan’s exquisite handling of suspense. The film’s psychological acuity and gradations of peril are greatly aided by its performances, not only those of Huppert and Moretz, but also Colm Feore, Jordan regular Stephen Rea, and Maika Monroe as Frances’ more practical and resourceful roommate.

PIERS HANDLING