Agony

Isadora is in distress as she and her family abscond to her mother’s property in Italy. It’s a giant castle with lavish furnishings. There is the staff who live and work there, including Angelica (Monica Guerritore) and Rudolfo (Ninetto Davoli, who starred in Pasolini’s The Decameron). Isadora relies on them to discover information about her mother, who is believed to have committed suicide. At this point, Isadora is furious at her father and starts to descend slowly into madness.

Agony resounds with gothic horror vibes and feels like it belongs to the past. The camera movements and visual themes feel as though we’re in the ’60s or ’70s. The film is darkly gorgeous, with hints of psychedelia in the visions that plague Isadora. I loved Agony so much for reviving a bygone genre while also staying fresh in the now, which is no small feat. I also love the appearances by legendary actors Ninetto Davoli, Franco Nero, and Rade Serbedzija.

“The ending is so great that I almost burst into applause…”

Agony is relatively short, coming in at under ninety minutes, but it actually serves the story well. There’s no meandering, and everything comes right to the point. It is an essential watch for anyone who loves haunted castles, psychic visions, and familial curses. The ending is so great that I almost burst into applause by myself in my living room. However, that could also be a side effect of going crazy from Coronavirus cabin fever.

I highly recommend checking out Agony if you like any of the genres I mentioned before and especially if you like Asia Argento. She is in rare form as Isadora and her change from somewhat levelheaded to all-out crazy is very fun, if not a little stressful, to watch. Also, I think being stuck in one place and losing one’s mind, as a result, is very relatable right now. So do yourself a favor and watch this mindbending, genre-flipping gem on VOD.