Revenge

Young and pretty, Jen (Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz – Rings) has never had to worry about anything. She doesn’t even worry about the wife that her lover has – she just loves being desired! Richard (Kevin Janssens) invites her to join him on a hunting weekend and stay at a luxurious villa in a desert canyon, complete with pool – what could be better?

Maybe Jen should have sensed their predatory instincts when Richard’s ‘associates’, Stan (Vincent Columbe) and Dimitri (Guillaume Bouchède) arrive with guns blazoned across their shoulders, but what the hell? Just more attention. Though while Richard is away, Stan decides that looking just isn’t enough for him… Dimitri does nothing but turn a blind eye. Things go from bad to worse when Richard returns, and instead of rushing to her aid, pushes her off a cliff and leaves her for dead! When she survives the fall, she goes all out to exact her bloody revenge…

In a similar vein to Kill Bill, this is a slick revenge film and an impressive directorial debut from Coralie Fargreat. Jen improvises with a cigarette lighter, broken glass, or whatever she can lay her hands on, and takes great joy in punishing the men who have hurt her. At times this can be quite shocking, while other times are played for laughs. Some hail this as a feminist (re)take on the genre, but however you view it, this film is pure cinematic joy.

Gail Marshall