Barbarian

Such a pleasure to see a contemporary horror movie that's both smart and relevant without being overtly "about" more than a super scary thrill ride. And while the characters in this movie make some choices no one in their right mind would ever do in real life - it's not because they're dumb. The motivations are clear and thematically on point. Yes, writer/director Zach Cregger's horror/mystery/thriller about a young woman's worst-ever Airbnb experience requires much suspension of disbelief, but it's the kind that enhances the suspense and the comedy. It makes your heart race as you go, "Oh my God, don't do that!" rather making than your eyes roll as you go, "Oh for fuck's sake!"

The film's unorthodox structure means you never know what's going to happen next. The plot machinations, major tonal shifts, and constant introductions of new situations make what is essentially a very familiar story with familiar beats feel completely fresh and inventive. And the pointed, humorous subtextual commentary on many themes of the day is placed EXACTLY where subtext belongs in order for a film to make its points cleverly and artfully.

Like nearly all onion-pealing movies that keep introducing more and more layers of mystery, Barbarian reaches the point too early where the payoffs to the questions and the stakes it continuously raises inevitably begin to diminish. Regardless, this would be a high four-star picture if it was only able to stick the landing better. After 90 near-perfect minutes where we'll follow these characters anywhere they go, the final sequence breaks the spell to the point where everything suddenly seems far less credible than before. The end doesn't ruin the film, but it prevents it from sending you out of the theater on the high it should have delivered.