warning!

Rating: Null/10 (14 May 2019)

In no specified location, a seemingly happy young woman resides in a large country house with her husband where they live in tranquility, until the arrival of a mysterious couple. Though the guests are mildly pleasant and affable, there are indications that something just isn't quite right...the discovery of what that is will be an experience that viewers are likely never to forget. Director Aronofsky clearly favors extreme close-ups which are effective in creating a palpably tense and claustrophobic atmosphere, before eventually spiraling into an ugly, interminable abyss of madness and despair. Bardem, Harris, and especially Pfeiffer are all convincing, but this is Lawrence's show and she gives the kind of gut-wrenching performance that echoes the very reaction of the audience. Fluctuating between riveting, confusing, and downright appalling, the gamut of emotions on display here are simply exhausting, but buried somewhere beneath all the mishmash and chaos are some poignant allegorical themes...deciphering them is not a task everyone is likely to embrace. Must set some kind of record for most WTF moments in a single film than any other in recent memory! **