The petty grievances, overlapping arguments, insecurity, and emotional stagnation feel painfully recognizable. Many critics see their own long-term relationship dynamics reflected in the film’s uncomfortable comedy.
Pros: humor, screenplay quality
Cons: score quality, runtime
Broadcast formats, surveillance material, period production details, and documentary habits give many scenes an unusually grounded texture. That realism intentionally clashes with the film’s more grotesque psychological exaggeration.
Pros: lead performance, visual style
Cons: theme depth, story quality
Committed performances and tactile sets make the impossible setting feel emotionally and physically believable. The characters’ reactions help anchor the increasingly abstract nightmare.
Pros: acting performance, scares
Cons: ending satisfaction, plot clarity
The film emphasizes ugly, intimate violence and harsh period living over romantic adventure. Reviewers often find the tactile detail convincing, even when the realism becomes oppressive.
Pros: visual style, cinematography
Cons: story quality, pacing
Realism is mixed: some find the emotional reactions recognizable and grounded, while others think the characters, premise, or escalating behavior strain credibility too far.
Pros: humor, theme depth
Cons: character development, screenplay quality
Plausibility is one of the sharpest recurring complaints, especially around the FBI, forensic gaps, and how easily Becket gets away with repeated murders.
Pros: lead performance, humor
Cons: entertainment value, originality
Believability breaks down badly for some viewers, especially around Celeste’s survival and the amount of plot armor protecting her.
Pros: lead performance, entertainment value
Cons: action sequences, ending satisfaction