Ambitious Nightmare Examining the Male and Female Relationship Power Struggle

Rating: 9/10 (4 July 2019)

I can't believe all the bad reviews, especially those relating to substance or lack thereof. It seems like many missed the point or didn't know what to expect going into the movie.
This is not a horror movie (at least not in the typical sense like Hereditary was, and which I thought was easily the best horror movie of 2018 and is by the same director) although it certainly is horrific. Rather, it is an acid-trip nightmare born from the anxiety arising from the contemplation of a life-long commitment to a mate and starting a family, and familial pressure regarding the same. Much like Rosemary's Baby was a play on female anxiety arising from one's first pregnancy, this is a journey through the cycles of human life with special emphasis on fear of commitment and what it means for one's individual identity.
The woman is portrayed as having a lot of family baggage and worried that her chosen partner's friends will not accept her, that he may be cheating on her, that her friends cannot be trusted, and that she will give up all power by continuing the relationship. Consumed with beauty and dreams of idyllic happiness replacing the chaos that is her current life. I should note that these traits are not always exhibited directly through her eyes or mouth but through the lens of her trip.
The man is portrayed as doing his best to do the right thing but still wanting the respect of his buddies, tempted by seducers, and surrounded by women that want to lock him down. One friend, a horny but hopeless geek always getting into trouble. The other, a rival.
The director doesn't pick a side (i.e., the female perspective v. the male perspective), but rather tries to show both sides fairly (including flaws) at the same time. You will have to watch the movie yourself to see who wins this power struggle for dominance and who is subsumed by the other.
Don't go in expecting a simple-minded horror movie, go in expecting to see a brilliant manifestation of the complex emotions many women and men go through when finding a mate and trying to decide whether to commit. This movie will be too raw, graphic, violent and ethereal for many, but if you don't mind that sort of thing, what a truly brilliant piece of art this is. The visuals are absolutely stunning.