Make Up (2020)

Make Up got very good critical reviews from more established critics than me. So when I say I didn’t like it, know that I may be objectively wrong. Maybe it’s just that Make Up feels superfluous. You could get the same experience of watching Make Up by micro-dosing a hallucinogen and looking at this classic lesbian awakening meme.

Make Up is shot like a thriller though its story beats are more standard, straight-forward drama. Ruth is an 18 year old girl who has travelled to a holiday park to stay with her boyfriend, Tom. Soon after she arrives, she begins suspecting her boyfriend of lying or possibly cheating on her. During her mission to determine if her boyfriend is cheating, she meets Jade. Jade and Ruth get close despite Tom’s warnings that Jade is “dangerous”. Following Jade’s attempts to kiss her, Ruth’s grasp on reality fractures a little. She spends the rest of the movie sorting through her sexual awakening which takes the form of surreal and often threatening vignettes and perceptions of events.

To start off with the positive, Make Up is really well directed. There is a distinct tone to the film and it’s full of what I can only describe as “vibes”. The directing really does elevate a fairly standard story. The use of a very thriller-esque style of directing and editing makes it an engaging, gripping film.

But while the thriller elements made it interesting, they also confuse me. This story doesn’t require thriller elements at all. It certainly doesn’t build to anything thrilling. While I can respect the craft of making a scene where Ruth makes dinner surprisingly tense, I question the necessity. the thriller tone feels tacked on to a story that doesn’t lend itself to it. So while Ruth’s more emotive, surreal experiences work, the overall framework of the story feels strange when shot in this way.

What I found sort of frustrating in this film was how tied up Ruth’s sexuality was in negative emotions. Ruth’s unusual coming out narrative is grounded in shame, deception and confusion. And yeah, I get that it be like that sometimes. But I’m personally growing tired of this narrative. So much effort was put into this psychosexual framework of Ruth struggling with her sexuality and it’s well done and all but there’s little joy to be found here. Even potentially being with a girl doesn’t make Ruth happy. It just makes her more confused and upset. Much as coming out and being queer can be negative, I am growing tired of narratives that portray it as almost universally so.

I think I didn’t “get” Make Up. I can see all the pieces that went into the film and I can acknowledge that writer/director Claire Oakley thought this story and its tone out. But it all comes together into a whole that I did not understand nor particularly enjoy. All I know is that at the end of Make Up, I just felt confused. And not a good Muholland Dr. kind of confused. The surreal elements felt shallow and the structure of the story felt secondary to these elements. The film does have a much higher reception from critics than audiences so at least I’m not the only one who didn’t understand what this movie was putting down.

Overall rating: 5.7/10

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