MovieChat Forums > Haute tension (2005) Discussion > Awful film, but even worse...

Awful film, but even worse...


As bad as this film is, the posters who defend it are worse. Whether it's nmp-tduarte, who sneers at people who don't like it by putting quotes around the word taste which shows how he despises anyone with different (or better) judgement than him, or oxdinaxo, who claims (and seems to actually believe) that "there is NOTHING in it [the film] that ‘doesn’t make sense’", or the other people who seem to imagine that by claiming to like this film that they'll seem to be intellectually or culturally superior to everyone else,

The film is drivel. Some seemingly normal girl suddenly goes into full blown psycho mode, perfoming acts that no one with her physique could do, and we're supposed to be impressed with that. It's just yet another slasher/gore flick with a weak and unreasoned attempt at a surprise twist.

Oh, but it's French, and the murderer is homosexual, so it's progressive, it's brave, it's new-wave, it's obviously so utterly wonderful that anyone who protests at the plot holes or the contrivances *must* be too stupid to understand the film...

It's people like the pretentious loudmouths who (claim to) like this film that keep the art world in such an awful state. You support rubbish like a few difference coloured squares on a white canvas or a few random sploshes in different shades of red, saying that anyone who doesn't like it is too stupid to understand art, whilst not supporting true, quality art.

Look at truly good films, like the Shawshank Redemption, Monty Python's Life of Brian, The Green Mile, etc. You know, films that people actually appreciate because those films are good, then compare it to unimaginative drivel like this waste of time. And yes, it does sometimes happen that a great film/book/work of art/etc can be unappreciated by the masses. But the key word there is "great", which is not a word that can honestly be applied to this rubbish.

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I agree this movie has a lot of "apparently" plot holes. And I quote that because I, at least, am not sure what is real and what is not in the events told by the crazy chick.

Just watched it. And I want to eventually watch it again.

I think the intention of Ada is just play with our minds, trying to put us in the situation of Marie. To be confused in a way you can't tell what is real and what is not. Of course we know most of it, but not all. One example? When the truck driver kills Alex's dad, he moves a piece of furniture easily, right? Then later, Marie, a.k.a. the killer, almost gives birth to a baby trying to move another piece of furniture in her bedroom. So, could her have performed that creative killing? Don't think so.

I dare even to say that not even the truck was real, or even the dude killed in the car with the saw.

But the biggest merit of the movie, in my opinion, was to keep me away from guessing its catch till the very last minute (when the police comes in the service station and the captain looks at the cctv - then I guessed what was coming).

Am I dumb? Maybe not too much. I've at least done better in more complex movies like Primer, for example.

The movie was effective in immersing me in its suspense, keeping me away of wondering what is going on must of the time (I did ask myself about the lack of plot a few times though).

Trying to make sense out of a movie that deals with madness, it's a waste of time.

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