Elizabeth Moss

  • The Invisible Man (2020)

    The Invisible Man (2020)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, September 2020) While I was on-board for the idea of a “Dark Universe” reimagining the classic Universal Monsters for modern audiences, the evidence so far is clear: the movies that attempted to play in the shared universe were not good, and the ones that didn’t were better. The most recent proof of this can be found in The Invisible Man, a clever rethinking of the classic premise in a modern and surprisingly intimate setting. Rather than blowing up trains, the invisible man here is a supporting character—a sociopathic abuser who keeps tormenting his girlfriend even after death. Starting with a surprisingly disturbing portrait of spousal abuse, The Invisible Man relegates its title character to supporting antagonist status, and instead focuses on the victim as the lead character. Played very well by Elizabeth Moss (not an actress I like, but one that I respect), our heroine spends most of the movie being tormented in various ways by an opponent she can’t see. Cleverly melding cinematic form with theme, writer-director Leigh Whannell spends a lot of time ratcheting us the tension by showing us… nothing. As the camera pans to reveal an empty corridor, as it composes its shots away from its speaking characters to include vast expanses of… nothing where the antagonist could be, it creates a great sense of tension over what may or may not be there. Surprisingly enough, it takes about fifty minutes for the film to start using the special effects that we expect: much of the starting sequences are in fairly realistic mode, with little here to show us the science-fictional aspect of the story. But The Invisible Man is, at its core, a horror film and it’s really effective as such: Fresh from his work on Upgrade, here we have Whannell delivering another well-executed project. It’s not perfect: it’s definitely a bit long and repetitive at first, and the climax is intentionally not the one we could have expected. But it’s suspenseful and effective, and it shows that salvation for the Universal movie monsters is to be found in smaller, heartfelt projects rather than grandiose plans for yet another cinematic universe.

  • Her Smell (2018)

    Her Smell (2018)

    ByChristian Sauvé Movie Review

    (On Cable TV, March 2020) I took me a while to get to Her Smell, even though it was an easy film to notice… albeit for all the wrong reasons: When I freely associate a punk band with olfactory sense, I don’t exactly get something that smells of roses. (Just look at that poster.) Fortunately, Her Smell doesn’t stink. (Heeey, who just revoked my pun licence?) It revolves around Elizabeth Moss, who delivers a strong performance as the leader of a punk group throughout her self-destructive behaviour. Strongly structured along five acts sometimes set years apart, we get to see our protagonist and her “Something She” group on the decline as the pressures of a tour get to everyone; throughout a disastrous studio session; at the nadir of her career; quietly recuperating at home; and then staging a comeback reunion set. The rise, fall and comeback of a musical act isn’t exactly a new story, but Her Smell tackles the topic with a decidedly anti-glamorous stance. The personal challenges of being a musician are clearly shown, as is the protagonist’s often unbearable behaviour in a warts-and-all look at the challenges of a driven but toxic personality. Writer-director Alex Ross Perry keeps the camera close to his actors as they argue in confined spaces—the claustrophobia is real, as is the sensation of being stuck in close quarters with someone we’d rather run away from. At 135 minutes, the film feels much longer than it already is, not helped by very uneven material that’s not reined in. Still, even in a crowded field of musical biographies following the same arc (some of them even real!), Her Smell stands out. Oh, and the title is explained at the end of the film—it’s much nicer than my initial guess was.