Bibi (2023) Film Review
Aside from a couple of not very helpful plot points, there aren’t many elements in Bibi that we can use to actually take a guess about what the heck’s going on. Its first act is very teasing as it provides an idea that the film can follow the same narrative of “female goes crazy, starts seeing things, and no one believes her”. After checking some items on that checklist, Bibi still stayed in the same course of a nightmare with many layers that wasn’t planning to stop. At least, in this regard, it’s a very different film than I thought.
Chris Beatty writes and directs a solid psychological thriller that will surely put him on the spotlight for further projects. With Bibi, he proves he has the sensibility to tackle multilayered films that are far from simple and provide structure beyond its genre rules. Alongside actress Elizabeth Paige, he goes on a road where storytelling is far from easy.
In Bibi, a grieving mother is dealing with a tragedy. Vivian is haunted by some events in her past that cross the boundaries of dreams and turn her days into hazy landscapes. It doesn’t help that she’s also going through substance abuse and a stalking figure starts showing up outside her huge home. However, people around her don’t seem to believe she’s being honest about her condition. In other words, they begin suspecting it’s all in her head.
Before I start spoiling the film, I will say Beatty cleverly reveals stuff early. Again, he’s not going for the traditional storyline where a woman admits that there is something wrong with her. There’s someone beside Vivian all the time. A figure whose kinship I won’t spoil for you, but in her attitude and how her character evolves throughout there lies the key to the film’s resolution. Digging more into her story would have been great.
As I mentioned before, Bibi could be Beatty’s introduction into a career follow up that will work well for him. He knows how to put together scenes by using his own cinematic language and by using pace to improve the experience genre-wise. This one isn’t quite scary, but I don’t believe he was going for this. He doesn’t need to step into this territory because Bibi is more of a unsettling version of a personal exploration into the psyche of a disturbed woman. Disturbed by what? There’s guilt, anger, and love. Much, much love.
Tammy Blanchard in a supporting role is by far, the most important performance in the film. We don’t give her enough credit and we should.
