The Beguiled

This intense Civil War remake is all about smoke and mirrors. Veils and fog. I thought we were friends. There is a single telling shot of a spider web. And oh what a tangled web we weave. Nicole Kidman as an understated Norma Desmond. Her talent is shocking every time you see her act. And Sofia Coppola, who won Best Director at Cannes for this effort, lives up to the moniker “The Velvet Hammer.”  There is syrup to the photography. At times a heavy, choking vignette suffocates the frame and threatens to swallow the images. But they seem so sweet, what harm could these images possibly do? And with that I’ll leave you to submit to this most intricate and emotionally sophisticated film.