The colors of horror

REVENGE (2017) Dir. Coralie Fargeat

Westworld (1973) & Revenge (2017)

Revenge 2017

My Top 9

Revenge by Coralie Fargeat.

Revenge (2017)

Revenge. Directed by Coralie Fargeat (2017)

Revenge (2017)

Every time I watch the dancing scene early in Revenge it hits so hard because it's this moment of innocence and desirability, the protagonist enjoying being desirable because her lover has called her beautiful and promised her he will always love her. And she wants to show him the same sense of desirability in return, and it's all so painful because I like that feeling too, I like looking desirable for my partners, for people seeing me with them, because it's a way of showing love, and it's so dead common for every single legal or social or media view of this kind of scene to treat her, for showing herself to be desirable, as also deserving to be hurt and assaulted and treated as a disposable object.

It's a good movie, but the more often I see it, somehow the more that first scene feels so raw. There's nothing special how the scene is shot, it's up to the viewer to decide how to see it, but the remainder of the movie tells the story about the people who see that first scene and think, with disgust, "what a whore."

2/60 Watching Every Non-US Shudder Original Film (Not Sponsored)

Content Note: This is a rape-revenge film. It is written, directed, and edited by a woman, Coralie Fargeat, but please proceed with caution if needs be. (timestamps to avoid the assault scene are provided at the bottom)

Film: Revenge (2017)

Country Of Origin: France

Language: French and English

Runtime: 108 minutes

Shudder Synopsis: Jen is enjoying a romantic getaway with her wealthy boyfriend, which is suddenly disrupted when his sleazy friends arrive for an unannounced hunting trip.

Director: Coralie Fargeat

Writer: Coralie Fargeat

Cast: Matilda Lutz, Kevin Janssens, Vincent Colombe, and Guillaume Bouchède

Pre-Thots: I knew nothing (as I prefer), but the title gave me a clue that turned out to be accurate.

Post-Thots: I’m honestly still processing this one. I don’t think revenge films are for me generally, certain scenes were tough to watch, not just the assault, but also scenes of Jen being trapped in conversation, and physically cornered. I also didn’t love the music, it was different, but it didn’t work for me.

Posi-Thots: This film is beautiful. It’s stylised, highly gory at times, with a surprising sound track, and some interesting flipping of the script in the third act.

Techni-Thots: As I say, this film is stylised, it has a particular look, it’s bright, takes place mostly in the daytime, and has a bold use of colour. It also takes full advantage of it’s desert setting. Director (Coralie Fargeat) has her vision and it was executed. I can’t think of another horror film that looks like this. AND the suspense really worked for me. Cinematographer (Robrecht Heyvaert) did the damn thing. The desert shots are beautiful, and a welcome respite from more high-energy, or gory, scenes. Though I didn’t love the music, I adored the sound design. It added so much to the story, and a few times, it was used to have us as the audience see things from Jen’s perspective. E.g. When she first fires a gun, the sound design moves to a dulling of the noise and a ringing in the track, to simulate the gunshot's aftermath.

Harsh-Thots: I didn’t need to see or hear the assault scene, and I also wonder if Jen could’ve had something else happen to incite her revenge. But I understand this is important for so many to see and experience, so I’m not trying to dismiss the power of this film, if someone is ready to see it.

Personal Sub-Genres: Action, Thriller, Survival Horror

Rating: 4/5

Who Might Enjoy It: Someone open to a rape-revenge film by a woman; also anyone who enjoys foreign films, gory films, stylised films, or a high-octane action-horror.

Who Might Not Like It: Anyone who’s not ready to watch a rape-revenge film. As I mention it does depict the assault, mostly verbally, and shots of the assault are waist-up. If you’d like to skip it entirely, the scene takes place from 22:00 to 22:45. However, be aware there’s a face slap that takes place at 25:15. To skip the first act entirely, start from 30:40.

Milkywaydrabbles Masterlist!

Castlevania:

He who was found in chains, set free. I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII | IX WIP (Alucard) Alucard with sassy S/O HCs Kinktober Body worship (Alucard) Kinktober Breeding (Alucard) Kinktober noncon (Alucard) Kinktober thigh fucking (Alucard) Kinktober Facesitting (Alucard) Kinktober stuck in the wall (Alucard) Flufftober "my parents love you" (Alucard) Kinktober panties/lingerie (Alucard) Kinktober size difference (Alucard) Flufftober "Hold me" "I wish you could see how I see you" (Alucard) Kinktober bondage (Alucard) Flufftober "Is that...Is that a dog?" (Alucard) Kinktober virginity (Alucard) Kinktober Overstimulation (Alucard) Kinktober Pegging (Alucard) Kinktober tentacles (Alucard) Flufftober "Oh my god I didn't know you could cook" (Alucard) Flufftober "What are you doing?" "I was trying to cook pancakes but it didn't exactly work" (Alucard) Flufftober "I could just stare at you forever" "Creep" (Alucard/Reader POV) Flufftober "sing to me again" (Alucard) Flufftober "I just want you to relax in my arms" (Alucard) Flufftober "I could just stare at you forever" "creep" (Alucard/Alucard POV)

My Hero Academia: 

No Place is too far - one shot (Aizawa)

Jujutsu Kaisen:

Cuddly Nanami HCs Bully!Geto HCs Shy!Choso HCs Fratboy!Gojo I | II | III | IV Kinktober body worship (Geto) Horny Gojo HCs I | II Musician!Geto HCs I

Attack on Titan: 

Flufftober "I'm Already Home" (Eren) Kinktober bukkake (Eren, Levi, Armin, Floch)

Tokyo Revengers:

Kinktober threesome (Kakucho, Rindou) Meeting the Haitani brothers in a club Kinktober breeding/bondage (Rindou) Mikey x Tall!Reader Kinktober Hate sex (Rindou) Draken/Shinichiro x Tall!Reader Kinktober Threesome or Moresome (Hanma, Sanzu, Rindou, Ran) Kinktober Virginity (Rindou) Kinktober uniform (Rindou) Haitani Ran HCs