**THE WACPINE OF ‘REBECCA (2020)’**

WRITING: 4
ATMOSPHERE: 5
CHARACTERS: 5
PRODUCTION: 6
INTRIGUE: 4
NOVELTY: 2
ENJOYMENT: 4



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**The Good:**

The chemistry between Lily James and Hammer mostly works, which helps to hold this film and its story together.

The relationships between the central characters are constructed well throughout the first half of the movie, so by the end of it all, we root for them and feel their losses.

Kristin Scott Thomas is tough and cold in all the best ways and the single standout actor in this production.

After a very slow first half and a plot that seemingly goes nowhere, the final 30 minutes finally provides answers and turns fairly tense.


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**The Bad:**

Lily Thomas’ acting is a bit in the shallow side. Hammer is also too low-key to make an impact. They could have put in more intense performances.

This film takes a good while to get going properly. It sets up things, then throws in loads of filler scenes and doesn’t seem to know where it should go next. This makes it feel overlong.

Rebecca is slightly overlong. It feels longer than its 130 minutes, mostly due to the dragged out first half and the lack of plot progression.

The story builds up slowly with many false leads before finally allowing itself to focus on the main mystery. By that point, most of the cake has already fallen apart.

Rebecca struggles to find its identity. It doesn’t now whether it should be called a historical drama, a murder mystery, a psychological thriller or something completely different.


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**The Ugly:**

Damn those costume changes Lily James has to go through.


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**WACPINE RATING: 4.29 / 10 = 2 stars**

What a crazy film. It was hard watching someone you're rooting for just be stomped on over and over again. There are some really interesting elements in the film but it is definitely a bit all over the place. The movie felt like it was 2 hours long, which is something that you dont notice in some films.

The protagonist is a woman working as a companion for an old rich lady when one day the lady suggests that she be seated with Mr. De Winters, a rich widower who is holidaying in France. Protag catches his eye and they start a whirlwind romance eventually marrying to stop the lady from taking protag with her to New York. Back at the Manderley estate there are remnants of De Winters deceased wife everywhere, and now protag feels like she will never fill the shoes of the deceased wife.

This movie throws struggle after struggle at the protagonist who seems to constantly suffer at each point and breaks down in tears. She is manipulated by almost everyone around her, gaslighted, bullied and psychologically abused and through this she never seems to grow until the final arc of the movie. I admit that the unravelling of the mysteries were really good and looking back so many of the reactions of characters make sense in a different light and are much more chilling.

I liked the dynamic between the two protagonists. It sas obviously a bit strained and way too stressful. I did feel like it was all a bit over the top, but I think it was worth a watch. The music is pretty decent, maybe a bit too loud compared to the volume of the rest of the film.

I truly feel like I've wasted two hours of my life. I saw the trailer and thought 'cool a new thriller.' The trailer is set up like the movie in two seemingly separate parts. It starts of like a love story and it reminded me of every Disney movie in which the princess falls for the handsome prince and I heard the wise words of Elsa 'you can't marry a man you just met'. The movie then takes a darker turn and it leads you to believe you're going to be watching a thriller from that point on.
[spoiler] It still is a love story and the only thriller aspect is the dreams that the new Mrs. de Winter is having. The story itself remains flat, dull and a drag. This story could've been told in half the time. Mrs. de Winter is such a bad character, she lacks backbone, lets herself be bullied by all of the staff and her husband - who has no time for her whatsoever and leaves her in the hands of the staff. Everyone worships Rebecca and in the end it turns out she is God-like to almost everyone except her husband who hated her so much that he shot her but that wasn't even a way to get revenge turns out because Rebecca was already dying and thus got her ending quick as she wanted. Oh and she also slept around a LOT, even with her cousin (gross). When Mrs. de Winter finds out her husband is a killer (for whatever reason and however mean Rebecca was, he DID kill her) she all of the sudden changes from his scared little baby bird into a woman who is ready to blackmail and play private investigator for her shitty husband who up until that point had been neglecting her ever since they got to the Manderly (a house he left like a shrine to the wife he so hated because Mrs. Danvers so obviously had an obsessive crush on 'her' Rebecca and she decides what goes and what not I guess?). So the last part of the movie goes by faster than the blink of an eye in which Mrs. de Winter does whatever she can to save her hubby from jail and it ends with them happily together living their best lives all around the globe, madly in love. WHAT?! [/spoiler]
I heard there is a book that this movie is based on, I wonder if that sucks as much as this? But my God, this movie was genre upon genre and not a single one was done right. Good casting though and I liked the cinematic choices they've made but the story all together was simply off putting and it felt like a cheap rip off from to many stories that they then flung together as one. No.

It's been like four days since I've seen this movie and I can't really remember it LMAO, so take that how you will. I haven't seen the Oscar winner or read the book, so I was flying in blind— I think that's why I was able to enjoy it as much as I did. That, and I think Lily James and Armie Hammer are very pretty people to look at ~respectfully~... The movie seems to jump around from genre to genre as it tries to unravel itself for the gothic horror it wants to be, and it's kind of a fun roller coaster, but it's a pretty slow one. How does a slow roller coaster even work...I don't know.

This movie definitely plays out like a soap opera. There's a ton of pieces missing, but if you're willing and open to do it, you can easily get invested in the characters and gasp at every dramatic little thing, filling in the gaps yourself. I think Lily James was absolutely amazing in her role as a timid naive middle-class girl, and Kristin Scott Thomas was fun as the antagonist; I'd say at some points she almost manages to touch the nerve that Dolores Umbridge sets aflame, HA. Worse than Voldemort, that one is. Did I like this movie? For sure! Would I rec this movie? Meeeehhhh. HAHA.

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Netflix’s Rebecca is based on the 1938’s novel of the same name written by Daphne du Maurier, but it’s not its first cinematic adaptation, which leads me to the following shameful statement: I’ve never seen the famous Alfred Hitchcock’s version of this story (nor have I read the novel, but I firmly defend that this doesn’t matter). It’s the only film of Hitchcock’s filmography to have received the Best Picture award, so I admit that I’m much at fault here. However, Ben Wheatley isn’t directing a remake of the original movie, but rather another adaptation of the also incredibly popular novel. I was intrigued by the premise, and the cast is definitely convincing, so how did it go?

If I had to choose one word to ultimately describe Rebecca right now, it would probably be… weird. More on this in a bit. Starting with the positives, Armie Hammer and Lily James share such vivid chemistry that it elevates the surprisingly compelling bond that their characters form. I write “surprisingly” because I’m not easily engaged in most romantic relationships in films, whether these are straight-up romances or mixed up with other genres, like comedy or, as in this case, horror/thriller. Nevertheless, Lily and Armie are able to capture perfectly the growing love interest in one another through the first act, which is entirely dedicated to develop and nurture the key relationship of the movie.

This is something I sincerely appreciate: when filmmakers know how to control pacing and how much time should a particular character or storyline receive of build-up. Wheatley does an impressive job during the first half of the film by moving the characters and plot forward at the precise moment they need to. This allows the viewer to understand what the characters are genuinely feeling and why some narrative decisions are made that change the course of the story. Lily James offers a remarkable performance, just like Armie Hammer. Kristin Scott Thomas is also excellent, even though her character is part of my problems with the movie. However, it’s the production design that stands out!

The beautiful colors and striking landscapes of the French Riviera fill the screen with luxury and harmony during the naturally passionate beginning of the relationship. Once the narrative moves to Manderley, the tone changes to a gradually more depressing, dark environment, accompanied by a creepy score (Clint Mansell), and spooky nightmares. The adequate costumes also help to set the atmosphere, but the beginning of the second half is where things start to get extremely weird.

From the very first moment the viewer sets place in Manderley, something is noticeably not right. Everyone addresses the late wife, Rebecca, as the most perfect human being to ever exist, reaching God-like compliments in a clear attempt of trying to create the cliche “previous wife was amazing, new one is awful, let’s make her life a living hell” storyline. An expected development with exaggeratedly positive comments from the staff. However, it’s the horror vibe that embraces the mansion that drives me nuts. Wheatley sets a dark, mysterious, even supernatural environment surrounding the house, a definitely intriguing aspect that leads to a hugely disappointing, hollow, unsatisfactory conclusion.

From the first to the second act, the genre in display changes from a fun, lighthearted romance to a horror/thriller featuring a “haunted” mansion. The tone change is far from being smooth. However, the third act stores a drastic shift in pretty much everything: tone, genre, story, and even characters. I can’t get into details, but it’s the most incomprehensible decision in the entire film. The last act not only follows a path that comes from nowhere, but it’s also incredibly rushed, concluding the movie in the most disjointed, convoluted way possible.

It raises questions related to events and characters in the previous act, it treats Mrs. Danvers very poorly, and ends with a deceiving last shot that makes the viewer think “did I miss something?” when the answer is a clear “no, it’s just a weird ending”. Clint Mansell’s score is captivating, but its timing is just completely off. It’s this feeling of false uncertainty that leaves me frustrated. Why try to make a film about something that it’s not? Why try to give Rebecca a horror vibe if it doesn’t lead to any impactful outcome? I finished the movie with doubts that have no reason to exist simply because the question should have never been asked by the story in the first place...

All in all, Netflix’s version of Rebecca gets lost in trying to balance so many genres in just one film. Ben Wheatley does a great job controlling the pacing, offering enough time to develop the main characters and the core relationship. However, the tone changes are far from being well-executed, leading to an utterly absurd, rushed, convoluted last act out of nowhere that raises logical questions and leaves the viewer with a false sense of uncertainty. A well-structured, entertaining first half partially compensates for the weirdness that overflows the second part. Lily James and Armie Hammer deliver great performances, as does Kristin Scott Thomas, but the production design (supported by terrific costumes) steals the spotlight. Clint Mansell’s score doesn’t go unnoticed, but its placement is exceptionally inefficient. In the end, the attempt at creating a horror atmosphere with the “haunted” mansion storyline is so anti-climactic that I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this flick…

Rating: C