I watched this movie almost a week ago and I honestly still don’t know what to think about it. There’s so many details and questions that I have that it’s difficult for me to make any sort of call as to what I truly think about it. There’s points of the film that I thought were great and other parts that I thought were a little strange, but I’m not sure if I’m missing something about it.
Personal Shopper stars Kristen Stewart as a personal shopper (as the name implies) for a celebrity. The reason that she’s in Paris is to hopefully communicate with her recently deceased twin brother who was a medium. Being a medium herself, she starts to try to investigate to see if she’ll give him a sign. Through trying to understand different events, she starts to believe that she’s in contact with someone who might be her brother or someone else entirely.
This film is full of twists and turns and doesn’t hold your hand. There’s something to movies that stick with you for several days and this is one of them. The ambiguous ending and peculiar storytelling keeps this movie interesting. I will say for sure that this movie isn’t boring. I was a little worried at first with it being a ghost story that it would drag, and the film doesn’t. It maintains its pacing and is a wild ride. The thriller aspects of the film were well done and I was gripping the edge of my seat by the ending.
The film stars Kristen Stewart and really only her. There’s other characters, but the story that Olivier Assayas has told is about the personal development of Stewart’s character. The way that grief is intertwined with the story, Stewart basically shuts everyone else out in her quest to reveal the unknown. I was blown away by Stewart as I think she’s great in everything she does sans the Twilight Series. I think she is vastly underappreciated for her work and I think she’s a great face to see in an Indie movie.
I think the ending in this film is great. There’s a few clues on what will happen throughout the film and I think it adds to what the film is trying to say. I like movies that actually treat the audience like an intelligent person instead of someone just grasping to try to get their fix. I think that’s why I’m liking this movie more than some other films that have similar premises.
Overall, the more I think about this film, the more I like it. There’s parts that make no sense and some character decisions that confuse me, but I think after a second or third viewing, I will fully understand the full scope of the movie and get what it’s trying to say. Stewart was great in this and hopefully will continue to produce work in this similar way.
Grade: A-
