Greta (2018)
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A young woman's attempt to return a lost handbag leads her into a terrifying friendship with a lonely widow who becomes dangerously obsessed with her.
The story
Frances McCullen, a young waitress in New York City, finds a handbag on a subway train and returns it to its owner, Greta Hideg. Greta, a widow from France, invites Frances in for coffee, and the two become friends. However, the relationship takes a dark turn when Frances discovers a closet full of identical handbags with names and phone numbers, including her own. Disturbed, Frances cuts ties, but Greta begins to stalk her, viewing Frances as a replacement for her late mother. As Frances seeks protection, she discovers Greta's true identity and her history of sadistic behavior.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After discovering Greta's stalking behavior, Frances contacts the police but is told the process will take months. Greta also begins stalking Frances' roommate, Erica. During a confrontation at a restaurant, Greta suffers a nervous breakdown and is hospitalized. Erica suggests Frances lie about leaving town, but Greta eventually drugs and kidnaps her, locking her in a wooden chest. Inside, Frances finds evidence that Greta has killed several other young women. Greta forces Frances to learn Hungarian and play the piano, attempting to mold her into a 'daughter.' Frances eventually manages to injure Greta but is suffocated by her. Meanwhile, Frances' father hires a private investigator, Cody, who discovers Greta was dismissed as a nurse for misusing anesthetics. Cody is murdered by Greta while investigating her home. In the final act, Greta leaves another handbag on a subway. A young woman arrives to return it, but it is actually Erica in disguise, who has drugged Greta's drink. Erica finds the unconscious Frances, and the two women manage to lock Greta in a toy chest before attempting to call the police.
- First release year
- 2018
- Runtime (minutes)
- 98
- Production countries
- United States; Ireland
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Neil Jordan
- Writers
- Ray Wright · story; Ray Wright · screenplay; Neil Jordan · screenplay
- Cast and characters
- Isabelle Huppert; Chloë Grace Moretz; Maika Monroe; Colm Feore; Stephen Rea
- Genres
- psychological thriller; serial killer; crime
- Themes
- obsession; identity; motherhood; stalking
- Tone and mood
- psychological; disturbing; tense
- Premise and plot tags
- kidnapping; female psychopath; serial killer
- Reception
- The film received mixed reviews from critics and an average grade from audiences.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 54 · scale: 100 · review count: 42
- Production trivia
- The film was originally titled The Widow.; The production received an €650,000 grant from the Irish Film Board.; Focus Features beat out studios including Netflix, Lionsgate and Neon to acquire distribution rights.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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