Cat Person

Watched this in a mystery screening tonight and love the idea of not knowing what to expect so came here with a clean slate.

Really enjoyed this film. Its really different and its main theme is based around the famous quote "men are afraid women will laugh at them and women are afraid that men will kill them".

It goes into some depth in its description of this quote and realises this in the 2 main characters and especially with many of the rambling imaginations of 20 year old Margot. It covers issues with consent and communication in this day and age, and how so many things can be misconstrued when there is limited information using non verbal methods of communication.

Its uncomfortable and dark at times, I actually cringed quite a few times, but also has some humour and light moments and explores the different perceptions society can have in some depth that I haven't seen any other film do in the same way.

I like different and this certainly is that.

Romance, both sides seek it, but often there are very different ideas about what that means.

The movie explores pitfalls of idealisation of the other person, placing looks above genuine connection and feelings as well as double standards and jumping to conclusions without trying to deeply understand another person.

It is also accurately portrayed how people read more into text messages than the sender intends both positively and other times negatively perceiving a neutral or opposite intent, or just making it wildly colourful.

Although the characters are somewhat stereotypical and extreme the situations are not far from everyday life, so they are relatable.

We are given a relatively good background on why Margot is seeking an older partner and why she goas along with uncomfortable situations.

The movie is primarily told from the female perspective, but it balances it with some insights into quirky male motives and true intentions.

I (as a male) did not feel that the feminist agenda was pushed too far, the reviews which claim that this is a movie just to blame males is highly inaccurate.

There is a glimpse into a therapy session and obviously both characters struggle with deep unresolved mental health issues, which ultimately helps to fuel the escalation of violence.

Overall its an enjoyable movie and I did not find it too predictable and I certainly did not expect it to answer all the questions it posed. I also did not expect to side with one character or the other like another review says, you do not always have to take sides.

There are some metaphors in the movie and some of the scenes are just portrays of imagination which could have been connected a bit more smoothly.

It would have been nice to add a more neutral external perspective like the therapy session on top of the two extreme sides with the occasional grounding (though biased) view of the friend.

It would have also helped to better understand the male character by providing a similar family background story to the female character.

Premiered at Sundance, Cat Person is based on the viral New Yorker short story of the same name, as a college student played by Emilia Jones navigating a new romance, red flags, and horrifying turns. Tonally, this film is unsettling from the beginning, as Margot's mind wavers between fantasy and foresight, reading the tea leaves of text messages, favorite movies, and behaviors to determine if a new love interest is a quirky boyfriend or a dangerous threat. One particular scene is extraordinarily chilling, first uncomfortably comically to viscerally frightening themes about consent and sex that I've never seen in film. The final quarter of the film amplifies the tone beyond the rest of the film, ending awkwardly, which prompts me to wonder how it aligns with the story version.

I wasn't a fan of director Susanna Fogel's work on Booksmart which she wrote, and the Spy Who Dumped Me which she also directed but this film shows impressive progress in her skill-set.

To the reviewers that got upset because they thought this film was anti men, the film was not anti men. It showed what the female characters feared, not what was real. It showed how the situation was partly of their own making, from their expectations and prejudices, as well as what the guy brought to it. It didn't judge but it left it open for us to do it.

The film was masterfully and tightly directed, lots of detail, subtlety and thought provoking scenes. It avoids black and whiting the complexity of where western society has taken itself in establishing relationships with other humans. The message was pretty bleak but we get insight into why it got that way, and there isn't really any finger pointing and blame attributing, (although it appears to side with the female lead it doesn't let her off the hook at all and the ending leaves it very open) as we do get a reasonably balanced understanding of the failings of all parties.

The direction was just really well done, and supported by insightful and nuanced performances from the cast, especially Emilia Jones who goes in the deep end after her stint in the Lock and Key series which she was also good in, & her award winning role in CODA, but this is next level.

There are many disturbing social observations in this film and it's great to have a movie made that dares to drift from the cartoon guns and violence fare we normally get. The film doesn't really deliver answers but it certainly identifies some of the problems.

I'm still thinking about the implications well after viewing it.

Cat Person is a very sharply observed, darkly funny, and insightful dissection of modern dating and the complications and fears it can lead to for women.

The story is told from the perspective of college student Margot, as she embarks on a relationship with the seemingly decent Robert. For the most part the story isn't overly original, but it's more the perspective and creativity in telling the story that stands out, really allowing you to get into the mind of the character.

It achieves this through a solid script that balances dark comedy with serious drama and social commentary, as well as engaging lead performances from Emilia Jones and Nicholas Braun.

My only real complaint is that the pacing is far too slow throughout the film. It easily could have been twenty minutes shorter and had even more impact as a result.

Despite this I thought this film was great. Good concept with brilliant execution and a couple of solid lead performances to boot.