Rebecca (2020) | Film Review

 Hey Guys x

I didn't know that much about this film before watching it, but I had seen a lot of mixed reviews for it. Once I read what it was actually about, and found out that it was based on a book by Daphne Du Maurier (who also wrote 'The Birds', which I loved) I decided to see why so many people were talking about it.

A girl (Lily James) falls in love and marries a wealthy man (Armie Hammer), immediately moving into his family estate. But when she gets there, she realises that she is living in the shadow of her husband's first wife, Rebecca.

I have mixed feelings about this film - some of it I loved, and some of it I didn't.

One of the things the film got right, in my opinion, was the beginning of the relationship. I thought, even though there was a sinister undertone throughout the movie, their relationship was really endearing and sweet. But there is also a tension simmering under the surface that you can't quite put your finger on.

Although the events at the beginning of the film (the characters falling in love and getting married) happens so quickly, to the level of being unrealistic, it feels really necessary in order to advance the plot.

All of the actors do a really great job with their characters. As well as Lily James and Armie Hammer, the film also stars Kristin Scott Thomas as Mrs. Danvers, Keeley Hawkes as Beatrice Lacy and a lot of other great supporting actors, and it was brilliantly acted the whole way through.    

Lily James' character is so unassuming and naïve to this world, that it's almost like she's an audience member. She learns everything at the same time that we do, and it makes us as the audience instantly warm to her - we're on the same side.

However, the problem with this character is that she is passive. Her entire character just reacts to the things that happen around her. While she is endearing, she has no real personality. 

And then there's Rebecca. I think my favourite thing about the film was the way that the dialogue and actions of the surrounding characters do such a great job of creating 'Rebecca'. The way this happens means that the character is created completely in our minds, which makes her incredibly powerful.

But then, there are so many secrets surrounding Rebecca that, after a while, tropes begin to repeat, making the film move slowly. We don't have to be told that Maxim (Armie Hammer) 'keeps secrets' 100 times in order to believe it. And along with this, there are so many conversations that amount to nothing.     

About 3/4 of the way through, an interesting reveal happens, but it feels like it comes too early, and doesn't pack the punch that it should.

And from there it just kind of fizzles out. It's 2 hours long, and from about 1 hr 40 minutes, I was just waiting for it to end.  

Overall, while I liked the film, a lot of it felt a bit pointless, particularly when you get to the end. I would recommend it, but don't expect a masterpiece. 

6/10

Lou