Carrie

The best way to go into Kimberly Pierce’s remark of Carrie (2013) is with open mindedness. Not that the film is bad, but that there is no point in trying to compare what was great about the original to what is different to the remake. That is arbitrary. What I can say, is that it’s a re-interpretation. There are scenes mostly the same, and at times seem pointless to re-do, but then theirs stuff that is different and progressive.

Of course, Carrie is amped up. It feeds into a new audience different to that of the late 70’s, a new teenage demographic with smart phones. In the new Carrie, played by Chloe Grace Mortez visuals and social commentary is more pronounced. Sticking with the original shower scene when Carrie discovers her period, however, this time it seems Carrie is subjected to longer torment, when the girls throw pads and tampons at her.  Bullying has shifted on a contemporary level expressed through the main villain, Chris (Portia Doubleday) and her skills on the web. Apart from Chris being a bit pouty, slutty and overly villainous, her character provided an interesting exploration of social media gone viral (perhaps was one-sided and negative). Like the original, we feel empathic for Carrie, even though Mortez may not look as awkward as Spacek, but Mortez inhabits her role bodily. Julianne Moore as Carrie’s mother, amps up a monstrous female, fractured in religion practise and self pain. If we took this back a notch, we can see a person suffering from mental illness and a husband who left her.

The highlight was the character Sue (Gabriella Wilde) who was part of Chris’s gang but shows sympathy for Carrie. Sue makes boyfriend Tommy (Ansel Elgort) go to the prom with Carrie and stays at home with her parents. However, at times Sue appears aloof and manipulative which becomes symbolic when she looks at herself in the mirror (it is cracked). Regardless of Sue trying to ‘help’ Carrie’s chances of being crowned Prom Queen. This is of course is thwarted when Chris and boyfriend Billy (Alex Russell) arranges pig’s blood. The scene develops into a drawn out CGI post- apoplectic showdown where Carrie gets to punish the rest of the students and show off her talents in telekinesis. Although, we may embody this moment as Carrie’s victory, the scene became bland compared to the visceral engagement I had with the prior exploration into Carrie’s powers.

 It is interesting that Pierce (Boys Don’t Cry) branched out and made something new, given the film a different ending and possibility of a sequel. The further exploration into Sue’s character at the end, made me happy and feel satisfied enough not to compare this to the original or simply think of this as remake of Brian De Palma’s masterpiece.