Suspiria

Suspiria
Italy, USA  | 2018 | 152’ | DCP | Colour | English, German, French | Group: D

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Young American dancer Susie Bannion arrives in 1970s Berlin to audition for the world-renowned Helena Markos Dance Company, and stuns the troupe’s famed choreographer, Madame Blanc, with her raw talent. When she vaults to the role of lead dancer, Olga, the previous lead, breaks down and accuses the company’s female directors of being witches. As rehearsals intensify for the final performance of the company’s signature piece, Susie and Madame Blanc grow strangely close, suggesting that Susie’s purpose in the company goes beyond merely dancing. Meanwhile, an inquisitive psychotherapist trying to uncover the company’s dark secrets enlists the help of another dancer, who probes the depths of the studio’s hidden underground chambers, where horrific discoveries await.

Luca Guadagnino was born in Italy in 1971 and raised in Ethiopia. He graduated from University La Sapienza in Rome where he studied film and made his feature debut with The Protagonists (1999) which began his long partnership with actress Tilda Swinton. His subsequent features are Melissa P (2005), I Am Love (2009), A Bigger Splash (2015) and Call Me By Your Name (2017) which won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay and further nominations for best picture and best actor. Suspiria had its world premiere in competition at Venice in September.