Revenge (2017) Dir: Coralie Fargeat

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This 2017 French action thriller marked the feature-length directorial debut of Coralie Fargeat, who would later direct the hugely successful 2024 film; 'The Substance'. I actually watched Fargeat's most notable short film; 'Reality+', last year, and could immediately sense the stylistic similarities from the director. I was keen to see how Fargeat would utilise her stylistic methods of storytelling to create what I hoped would be a thrilling revenge film.

Much like 'The Substance', this film attempted to exploit the male gaze, fragile masculinity, the dehumanisation of women, patriarchy, as well as other topics more specific to this film like male insecurity, and male violence. Whilst this was not as nuanced or allegorical as the aforementioned 2024 film, its lack of subtlety, in many ways, played into its favour. The clear messaging was punchy and impactful - anything less would have been dissatisfying.

Being a revenge film, this was bound to have at least some heavy material, but sexual violence is always hard to stomach in film. I can't pretend like I didn't struggle with that aspect of the film. Thankfully, the relevant scene was not as drawn out, and was not shown as explicitly, as many other films, which have been far more gratuitous in their depictions of such violence. I am still not entirely convinced that it was necessary for that particular event to happen - the attack did not need the sexual aspect to make it impactful - but, considering the prevalence of male violence against women, I can understand why the director chose to highlight it.

The film boasted a unique and rhythmic soundtrack, which raised the pulse of the film on numerous occasions, and kept things ticking over nicely. The pacing wasn't perfect, but it never got to be too much of an issue. Accompanying the awesome soundtrack were some equally awesome practical effects, which were as gruesome as they were impressive. The injury detail was exemplary, and made for some gnarly scenes that made me wince while watching them.

Matilda Lutz had a ferocity to her performance that I absolutely loved, particularly in the second half of the film, where she truly came alive. Her character, initially speaking, didn't have too much depth, but Lutz more than made up for that with her kick-ass action sequences and lust for survival and revenge. She was at her best when her character was at her lowest, and she truly excelled at making her character's survival, against all odds, feel more believable.

Kevin Janssens' performance as the ringleader, of sorts, was a little overly dramatic, but it was efficient in conveying his role in the story. I wasn't necessarily a huge fan of his acting, but Janssens certainly looked the part, and filled his role well enough that it didn't seem distracting or unbelievable. Vincent Colombe's turn as one of the more disgusting characters I've seen in a film was admittedly pretty good, all things considered. He certainly made himself into a hugely detestable character, albeit the film helped him out a lot. I should also briefly mention Guillaume Bouchède, who, despite a smaller role, still managed to leave his mark on the film, succeeding in grossing me out multiple times.

Overall, I thought this was a very strong directorial debut from Coralie Fargeat, and one I'm so glad I finally watched. It isn't a perfect film - the film has nowhere near the thematic depth or variety that Fargeat's sophomore film does - but, in a way, that is testament to her development as a filmmaker, as much as it is a criticism of this film. It was a compelling and intense slice of vengeance that rightly kickstarted Fargeat's feature film career in style, and positioned itself as one of the better French films of the last decade.