Euphoria in theaters

Euphoria
R | 1h 44min |Drama | 28 June 2019 (USA)

Synopsis: After years apart, two sisters meet up again to undertake a profound journey together.

Director: Lisa Langseth
Writer: Lisa Langseth
Stars: Alicia Vikander, Eva Green, Charles Dance

Rated R for language and some sexual content

Review: We all have that one actress or actor that we gravitate toward. Someone who, if you see them attached to a film, you are immediately in. That was my first attraction to the drama, EUPHORIA. I have been in the Alicia Vikander camp since Ex Machina and she solidified my allegiance with Danish Girl and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. All that to say that I was more than willing to give this flick a watch. It is a solid, well conceived film that organically unwraps the relationship between its two female leads.

Ines (Alicia Vikander) and Emilie (Eva Green) are two sisters who have drifted slightly apart over the last few years. When Emilie asks Ines to go on a special vacation journey with her they begin to initiate some much needed bonding as well as release a little steam. The drama escalates when secretly Emilie has arranged them to end up at a retreat that unearths some startling info. I won’t go into any spoilers even though it is pretty easy to figure out what is going on.

They arrive at their destination pretty quick into the film and the rest is just well acted performances. Both women are solid here under the direction of Lisa Langseth and her thought provoking script. I appreciate that even though you know what is going on there is a sense of unease that permeates from the screen. You know that there are no zombies behind the door but at the same time you wouldn’t be surprised either. Spoiler alert: there are no zombies in this film. It is more Lisa’s ability to capture human emotion and angst and then feed it to the viewer.

Some of the subject matter may not be everyones go to for entertainment but if you like seeing life and what it all entails unfold before you then this would be a decent option. The 100 minutes move at a nice pace and the story is engaging. A better renter later? Possibly. But if you frequent the local arthouse cinema and see this one on the marquee then feel free to plop down some coin.