In Alex Ross Perry’s preceding endeavour Listen Up Philip, the protagonists were distinctly unsympathetic, making for an emotionally disengaging piece. But an investment in the leads was not essential – where in the resourceful filmmaker’s latest piece Queen of Earth, not feeling particularly endeared to any one character is detrimental to proceedings. You pity the tortured Catherine (Elizabeth Moss), but struggle to feel much warmth, as even in flashbacks to the previous summer before this narrative unfolds, she was prone to being needlessly confrontational.
But it’s the current summer that remains our focus, as for the second consecutive year Catherine has set off to the tranquil lakeside abode of her oldest friend Virginia (Katherine Waterston). While they were joined last year by the former’s boyfriend, she has since been broken up with, while her father, the venerable artist of whom she was an assistant, has died. So while it’s now just the two of them, with frequent visitations from neighbour Rich (Patrick Fugit), the intention is to get away from it all and thrive in the serenity of the picturesque landscape. Though within the house, the passive aggression reaches a boiling point, as the dear friends begin to realise they’ve drifted quite dramatically apart.
The animosity, albeit heightened, is identifiable in parts, as two people who just can’t seem to say anything right to one another, with every other comment either a genuine dig or is at least perceived to be one. What transpires is an uncomfortable, disquieting watch – while Perry affectionately abides by the tropes of the thriller genre, adding an element of suspense to a film that, narratively speaking, is more of a dramatic, character study. The choice of music, the close-ups, the camera movement, it all gives off an uneasy feeling of trepidation. Simply by employing such a technique, it makes you question every little thing, ruminating over the seemingly innocuous moments, as you read into everything, hoping nobody decides to take a shower in case we get full on Hitchcock.
Queen of Earth certainly improves as we approach the latter stages, becoming darker, more experimental and in truth, just a little messed up – which is when it becomes absorbing. The tension is ramped up, with the conflict and pent up aggression working well against the peaceful backdrop. But up until the final act, however, the tedium is somewhat overbearing.
