The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

As normal humans, we wake up every morning and venture out into the world. Accordingly, we interact with dozens of people each and every day. To be able to do that, we need to push aside the fact that the world is full of crazy people. Greta takes that notion and shows you just how crazy a random stranger can get.

Greta follows young Francis (Chloë Grace Moretz) who finds a purse on a subway and, upon returning to the owner, an older woman called Greta (Isabelle Huppert), the pair become friends. Little did Francis know that this new friendship would take a very dark turn.

The concept of the plot is quite interesting because both main characters are female, which is unusual in such setups and makes the feature stand out. Also, the film’s premise is so realistic, to the extent that audiences felt it could happen to any one of them, and that helps them relate so much more to the movie. 

Greta is not really a horror movie but rather much more of a thriller, which is an edge for it as a feature due to the lack of films in the genre.

However, there is a significant issue with the plot’s pace; it is way too slow for what is considered to be a thriller, and that completely takes away from its gravity. If matters had escalated faster and more drastically, then the film would have had audiences completely engaged throughout.

Greta also missed a huge opportunity: shedding light on the psychological aspect of why Greta is this way. Instead, the film briefly told the audience what had happened to her family.

Another issue with Greta is the music; the music was overdramatic at times, to the extent that it almost seemed comical (specifically the ominous sound effects). The feature uses piano music as a theme in the film and a clever motif, but sound effects let the soundtrack down.

The feature’s shooting was quite marvellous with artistic frames and colouring. Aspects of the mise en scène, namely costume and set designs, were similarly quite artistic.

As for the acting, Isabelle Huppert’s performance was phenomenal, with minimal but on point facial expressions and body language. The audiences truly feared to the old lady, who would otherwise seem harmless. As such, Huppert is the film’s life raft, and without her the feature would have been utterly ridiculous and almost laughable. Chloë Grace Moretz also gave an excellent performance, which served her somewhat naïve character and the film’s overall plot. Playing Francis’s fiery friend Erica, Maika Monroe added punch to the movie with her supporting role.

Even though Greta had the potential to be much better, the film is still somewhat worth the watch if you are a thriller fan and don’t mind the slow pace.