BY ROMEY NORTON FEBRUARY 12, 2024
This seductive thriller starts strong and then by the second half the story drowns itself.
Some Other Women boasts a strong cast that includes Tom Felton (Harry Potter), Ashley Greene (Twilight), Amanda Crew (Final Destination 3), and whilst they give decent performances, the script becomes too confusing towards the end, academy award winners couldn’t save it.
SYNOPSIS
Eve was promised a few months on a tropical island for her husbands work - Years later, unable to build the family they wanted, reality starts to unravel when she encounters a strange woman who begins taking over her life piece by piece.
REVIEW
I thought the trailer was slow and weak, but Some Other Women is one intrigue after another - however, it does lead to a perplexing ending. Is this a film with three different realities, or a story with a supernatural element? It’s unclear, and it doesn’t give you a proper, fulfilling end. The drama and suspense take a while to build and I feel it could have been pushed further and gone darker. However, it is thought-provoking in its themes of relationships, personal happiness, and desires.
We follow Eve who was promised a few months on a tropical island for her husband’s work, but years later, is unable to build the family they wanted. Eve has given up on her desires and dreams, becoming a hostage, trapped on the island with her husband, and now a disappointing life. Then a mysterious woman appears and Eve’s reality is shaken.
Eve’s inner struggle can reflect the modern woman - the struggle to be a good partner and support them, becoming a mother, whilst having your desires and needs. It’s as if women (and others) always have to give something up for their happiness.
The idyllic island being everyone’s dream but not enough symbolises how we’re never completely happy. However, their need to stay on the island isn’t strong enough, and they could have easily left.
The similarities between the two women are eerie, and as a viewer, they’re hard to distinguish. Is this reaffirming the fear that everyone is replaceable and no one is special? The stalking aspect is unnerving, and I would have loved this to have been pushed further - at times it felt a little safe.
Eve’s loss of memory and warped reality were building the idea of a parallel universe, and/or multiple realities, then towards the very end this all seemed to just go off course. Is this a battle of the mind? Does our protagonist suffer from DID (Dissociative identity disorder)?
In the final scenes, the two women are fighting and drowning one another - it’s strange. As there are some mystical aspects introduced, I wonder if these women are twinned with the idea of sea witches being married to one man… There is talk of souls finding a way to find their real life and love. Either way, the writers needed a few more rewrites in my opinion.
The ending monologue from Eve makes me think the final takeaway is that you do have options in life so don’t remain unhappy. However, with her husband putting objects into a work drawer, it makes me think he’s a master manipulator and was playing with her and her mind the whole time. It’s a confusing one - give it a watch and share your thoughts on what you think the ending means.
STAR RATING
