Greta Synopsis & Review: Plot Summary

🎯 Quick Overview

😅 Plot Summary – Badly Explained

A sweet girl finds a purse, returns it to a creepy old lady, and regrets every life choice she’s ever made… severely.

🍿 Greta: Detailed Plot Synopsis

A Chance Encounter

Frances, a young woman new to New York City, finds a lost handbag on the subway. Displaying uncommon kindness, she decides to return it to its owner, Greta, a seemingly lonely and eccentric French piano teacher. Greta is overjoyed and invites Frances into her home, establishing a fast friendship based on shared loneliness and a desire for connection. Frances, grieving the recent loss of her mother, finds a maternal figure in Greta.

The Unraveling

As Frances and Greta’s bond deepens, Frances makes a disturbing discovery: Greta possesses multiple identical handbags, each with notes containing names and numbers. Realizing that Greta intentionally leaves these bags to lure young women into her life, Frances tries to sever ties. Greta’s behavior quickly escalates from odd to obsessive, and she begins to stalk and harass Frances, making her life a living hell. The film explores the fragility of trust and the dark side of loneliness.

Escalation and Desperation

Greta’s stalking intensifies, targeting Frances’s roommate, Erica, and disrupting her work. Despite reporting Greta to the police, Frances finds little help as Greta has not yet made any overt threats. Determined to protect herself and her loved ones, Frances investigates Greta’s past, uncovering a history of mental instability and a fabricated story about her daughter. The film ramps up the tension as Frances realizes the true extent of Greta’s dangerous obsession and the lengths she is willing to go to control Frances’s life.

⚠️ Spoilers and Ending Explained

🎬 Cast & Characters

• Greta Hideg (Isabelle Huppert): A lonely and disturbed widow who harbors a dark obsession with Frances after she returns a lost handbag.
• Frances McCullen (Chloë Grace Moretz): A naive and kind-hearted young woman who becomes the target of Greta’s increasingly sinister intentions.
• Erica Penn (Maika Monroe): Frances’s pragmatic and protective roommate, who is suspicious of Greta from the beginning.
• Chris McCullen (Colm Feore): Frances’s distant father who becomes concerned when she goes missing.
• Detective Brian Cody (Stephen Rea): A private investigator hired to find Frances, who uncovers Greta’s dark past.

💬 Memorable Quotes

• Frances McCullen: “My friends say I’m like chewing gum. I tend to stick around.” – Frances says this to Greta early in their friendship, foreshadowing Greta’s obsessive behavior later on.
• Erica Penn: “This city will eat you alive.” – Erica warns Frances about the dangers of naivety in New York City.
• Greta Hideg: “You were my favorite.” – Greta says this to Frances just before being incapacitated, highlighting her twisted obsession.

💰Box Office

• Budget: $10,000,000
• Domestic Gross: $10,532,219
• Worldwide Gross: $18,653,107

💥 Greta Reviews

Personal Review

Okay, so I watched ‘Greta’ last night, and I have *thoughts*. Isabelle Huppert is terrifyingly good, like, seriously unsettling. The scene where Frances finds all the purses? Gave me chills! But honestly, some of Frances’ decisions made me want to throw my popcorn at the screen. Overall, a fun, slightly ridiculous thriller, but definitely worth a watch for Huppert’s performance alone. Just don’t expect a masterpiece, go in ready to suspend your disbelief.

• Who would enjoy:
  • “Fans of psychological thrillers”
  • “Those who enjoy movies with strong female leads”
  • “Viewers interested in films exploring themes of obsession and loneliness”
• Content warnings ⚠:
  • “Stalking”
  • “Violence”
  • “Disturbing behavior”
  • “Brief gore”
  • “Drug use”

Professional Reviews

• Variety: “Huppert is undeniably captivating as the titular Greta, bringing a chillingly eccentric energy to the role. However, the film often veers into implausible territory, undermining the suspense it tries to build. The cat-and-mouse game is entertaining, but lacks genuine depth.
• The Hollywood Reporter: “While the performances are strong, particularly Huppert’s, ‘Greta’ ultimately feels derivative. It retreads familiar thriller tropes without adding anything particularly new or insightful to the genre. The ending is predictable, and the characters’ choices often defy logic.
• Empire Magazine: “Isabelle Huppert brings a delicious, unsettling menace to the role of Greta, elevating the film beyond its somewhat predictable plot. Chloe Grace Moretz delivers a solid performance as the naive Frances, but it’s Huppert who truly shines.

Audience Reactions

Isabelle Huppert’s chilling performance made me never want to return a lost item again.: The movie has great suspense

I was on the edge of my seat, and the plot was engaging.: Suspense and tension make this film worth watching.

Overall Consensus: A suspenseful thriller carried by Isabelle Huppert’s captivating performance, but often hampered by implausible plot points and predictable elements.

Awards

🛠️ Behind the Scenes

• “Isabelle Huppert also played a piano teacher in the 2001 film ‘The Piano Teacher’.”
• “Greta’s last name, ‘Hideg,’ is the Hungarian word for ‘cold,’ foreshadowing her true nature.”
• “Although the movie is set in New York City, much of the filming took place in Dublin, Ireland.”

🖥️ How to Watch Greta?

Greta is currently available to rent or buy on demand through platforms like Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, and Vudu. Check your local cable provider for on-demand options as well. For physical media collectors, the Blu-ray and DVD are available for purchase online and in stores.

🎥 Similar Movies

If you enjoyed Greta, you might like these similar films:

• Fatal Attraction (1987): Features a character whose initial charm devolves into dangerous obsession, similar to Greta’s pursuit of Frances.
• Misery (1990): Explores the terrifying dynamic of a captor holding someone against their will, with a focus on psychological manipulation.
• Single White Female (1992): A woman is terrorized by her roommate.
• You Were Never Really Here (2017): A violent thriller about saving women from abusers.

🛒 Greta Related Products

• Fatal Attraction [Blu-ray]: A classic psychological thriller with a similar theme of obsession and dangerous relationships. Starring Michael Douglas and Glenn Close in a story of an affair gone bad.
• The Piano Teacher (Criterion Collection) [Blu-ray]: Starring Isabelle Huppert. This film explores the dark side of a piano teacher, delving into themes of repression and obsession. Directed by Michael Haneke.
• Single White Female [Blu-ray]: A woman advertises for a new roommate, but soon realizes her new roommate is intent on assuming her identity.
• Body Double [Blu-ray]: An out-of-work actor is hired to housesit, but soon finds himself caught up in a murder.

🎧 Soundtrack

Greta features a captivating soundtrack that enhances the movie’s atmosphere and emotional impact. Here are some notable tracks:

• “Where Are You” – performed by Julie London

You can find the complete soundtrack on Amazon Music and Apple Music.

🤨 FAQ

🔥 Bonus Content

GRETA (2019) Ending Explained

Ever felt confused by the ending of ‘Greta’? This video breaks it down perfectly! Honestly, understanding the ending made me appreciate the movie even more.

Greta – Movie Review

Want to know if ‘Greta’ is worth your time? Chris Stuckmann gives a pretty solid review that dives into what works and what doesn’t. I found his points about the performances super insightful, so check it out!

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