Revenge (2017 film)

Coralie Fargeat was inspired to make a revenge film in the vein of Mad Max or Rambo, "with strong characters on a phantasmagoric journey."[4] Though Fargeat was aware of the rape and revenge film genre, she did not set out to make a film of that type and had never seen I Spit On Your Grave, one of the most well-known films of the genre.[5] Said Fargeat, "I wanted to take this story out of the genre of horror. I didn’t want Jen to be screaming and suffering for the whole movie, trying to survive. I wanted her to go somewhere else and transform into a cool and badass character."[4] One of Fargeat's inspirations was the Steven Spielberg film Duel because it manages to generate tension using "so few elements: a car, a truck and that’s it."[4][5]

Revenge was filmed at a Moroccan location, chosen for the nondescript, isolated appearance of its desert. Said Fargeat, "We had to find the villa, the desert, and the water in the same country. I loved the idea of not being able to recognize exactly where the desert is."[5] A small village in the background of the villa was not filmed "to create the sense that the characters in the film are totally alone."[5]

Principal photography on the film began on 6 February and wrapped on 21 March 2017.[6]

Of the film's early scenes that view Jen through a male gaze and show her dancing with men, Fargeat said this was done because she "wanted to embrace the fascinating, polarising image of the Lolita. Jen can be empty and stupid and an object of desire if she wants. It shouldn’t lead to [a sexual assault]."[4] Fargeat also chose not to linger too much on the rape scene, saying, "For me that’s not what the film’s about. So I didn’t feel the need to make it visually important. Before she is raped, she’s told it’s her fault, that she created the situation. I wanted to deal with the psychological and verbal violence towards her — the rape is symbolic of the way she’s considered and treated."[4]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 93% of 135 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Revenge slices and dices genre tropes, working within an exploitation framework while adding a timely – yet never less than viscerally thrilling – feminist spin. "[14] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 81 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[15]

Matilda Lutz received acclaim for her performance as Jen.

Critics praised Revenge for its subversion of rape and revenge tropes and embraced the film as a welcome addition to the genre from a female lens.[16] Andrew Whalen of Newsweek said the film is "the closest thing to a feminist rape-revenge tale since Abel Ferrara's Ms. 45."[17] A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote, "Blunt, bloody and stylish almost in spite of itself, Revenge is a synthesis of exploitation and feminism."[18] Multiple critics compared the film to French New Extremity movies like High Tension and Martyrs.[17][19] Christy Lemire of RogerEbert.com awarded the film 3 and ½ stars out of 4 and wrote, "with cinematographer Robrecht Heyvaert, Fargeat has created a high-contrast hellscape, a place filled with equal amounts of danger and discovery."[20]

Among the tropes critics said Fargeat subverts were past films’ tendency to focus on violence done to the victim character.[16] Writing for Variety, Scott Tobias commented, "The small miracle of Revenge, an exceptionally potent and sure-handed first feature by French writer-director Coralie Fargeat, is that it adheres to the formula yet feels invigorating and new, a stylistic tour-de-force that also tweaks the sexual politics in meaningful ways."[19] Lemire wrote, "Fargeat subverts and co-opts the male gaze, turning it into something that’s both playful and fierce."[20] TheWrap's April Wolfe appreciated that the character of Jen was nuanced and multilayered, mixing "bravada" and "vulnerability."[16] Lutz was also lauded for her performance, with Tobias saying she rises to the emotional challenge and gives a "physical presence that’s indomitable, like a blade forged in fire",[19] and Lemire writing she is able to "[indicate] a massive character arc without many words."[20]

Revenge was also noted for its larger focus on the theme of rebirth. David Sims of The Atlantic wrote, "winking title aside, this is a movie more about transformation and transference than revenge. Fargeat is taking familiar, misogynistic iconography and setting it to boil, bringing all its cruelty and noxiousness to the surface. Revenge won’t be an experience every viewer can handle, but as a piece of extreme horror, it’s an intelligent and flashy debut."[21] Lemire commented that though the process of Jen's survival "requires a great deal of suspension of disbelief...Fargeat definitely emphasizes the ‘fantasy' element of the rape-revenge fantasy genre, not only through Jen’s resourcefulness but also with the dreamlike way in which she depicts her journey toward regaining control."[20]

In a more critical review, Lena Wilson of Slate questioned whether the film can still be considered feminist if it conforms to rape and revenge film tropes, citing Jen's skimpy costuming throughout the film as an example.[22] Wilson argued, "If rape is the pinnacle of male disregard for female life, what do we accomplish by presenting a protagonist who gleans and internalizes that violent indifference? Our protagonist is transformed, but she converts from one male fantasy to another: wide-eyed damsel to hardened action hero."[22] Kevin Maher of The Times voiced a similar sentiment: "Labelled a 'feminist rape-revenge movie', it takes all the traditional tenets of that most dubious of genres and simply does them again."[23]