By cutting into herself, Esther attempts to reclaim ownership. She tells a colleague, "I feel like I have to cut myself to know where I end and the world begins." This is the film’s thesis: In a society that demands you perform, the only authentic act is the one that destroys the performance.
: Unlike standard horror tropes, there is no "buried secret" or tragic backstory. The horror is presented as a spontaneous, quiet "snapping" of the mind. Critical Reception Metacritic/Rotten Tomatoes
: The film received "generally favorable" reviews, holding a 68/100 on Metacritic and a 66% "Fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes Visual Style
The film introduces us to Esther (played with unnerving detachment by Marina de Van herself), a successful marketing executive in her thirties. She lives a life of bourgeois comfort: a loving boyfriend (Laurent Lucas), a promising career, and a social circle that expects nothing but stability. All of this shatters during a mundane evening at a house party.