Make - Up (2019) is an Interesting Experiment that Pretends to be a Horror Film

 

Credit to Make-Up (2019) — IMDb

I kept hearing from fans online that Make - Up was a pretty good horror film. I had been wanting to watch it for a long time, and I finally got the opportunity when I discovered the film on Tubi. After watching the film, I have learned one thing: Make — Up is not a horror film. 

It uses the formula of horror, by creating an intense and eerie atmosphere filled with creepy moments, but everything is taking place inside of the main character’s head. I’m so picky when it comes to psychological films like this, but I think this was a great execution. 

We follow the story of a young woman named Ruth, who comes over to a remote holiday resort to spend time with her boyfriend, Tom. Everything seems to be going well upon first meeting, until she starts to grow suspicious of her boyfriend. 

Ruth suspects that Tom is cheating on her. 

Credit to Make Up (2019) — IMDb

Upon first arrival on the resort, Ruth is starting to notice some strange things. She finds the markings of lips on Tom’s mirror, located in front of their bed, and she finds red hairs belonging to an unknown person. Ruth doesn’t outright accuse Tom of cheating, but the feeling haunts her throughout the majority of the film.

During her uneasiness with Tom, she takes on a job in his own workplace, and she befriends another worker at the resort, named Jade. They form a strong friendship, and she begins to enjoy spending time with her. She tells Tom about her friendship with Jade, and he warns her to stay away from her. 

Tom doesn’t elaborate on why Jade should be avoided, and her worry only escalates from there. She begins to see a mystery woman with long red hair on the resort, and every time Ruth asks people who the woman is, no one knows who she is talking about. 

Ruth’s obsession continues to grow worse, and during her concerns over this mystery woman, she has her first fight with Tom. She spends time with a young girl named Kippa, and they go into the ocean for a fun swim. When she returns to tell Tom about her little adventure, Tom gets pissed off, telling her to be careful, since she can’t swim. 

Tom storms off with Kai, another worker on the resort. Ruth notices naked photos of women on the wall after Tom leaves, and she rubs her hands as she stares uneasily at the photos. 

Then during one particular night, we get some answers as to why Ruth is unsure about staying on the resort. While she is spending time with Jade one night, they share an almost kiss. Ruth runs out in a panic, and spots the woman in the red hair in one of the empty trailers located on the resort. She goes over to her boyfriend’s trailer. He rejects her when she tells him she was over at Jade’s, and she stays awake. 

Then during one night, Ruth and the workers learn that one of the residents on the resort is missing. 

Credit to Make Up movie review & film summary (2020) | Roger Ebert

Ruth aids the workers to go and look for an elderly woman named April, who wanders away during the night. Ruth sneaks into one of the trailers, and spots a glimpse of the woman with the red hair outside. She goes after the woman, and comes across April instead. She alerts the others, and April is escorted back to the resort. 

Ruth and Jade have a quick talk about what happened that night, and Ruth tells Jade that Kai is watching them, but Jade doesn’t care. Ruth leaves to go back with Tom. He later asks her if she is happy to be with him, and she told him she left her home to be with him. 

Ruth is showing signs of not being happy with Tom anymore, and during a sudden episode, she wanders into the ocean during the day. Ruth goes into the water, and the red woman appears in the water with her, but it turns out, that there was never a woman with red hair. 

It was Ruth the whole time, and it was all in her head. 

Jade finds her, and puts her coat around her. Kai and Tom see this, and Kai makes a comment to Tom, starting a physical fight between them. When Ruth stops the fight, Tom storms off. 

Kai tells Ruth he told him the truth about her, and she goes after Tom. She finds him taking out her things, wanting her to leave. Tom then tells her in a desperate attempt that he loves her. Ruth does not answer back, and Tom leaves her, but locks the door on the way out. Ruth breaks out of the trailer, and sneaks into Jade’s place. 

She puts on a red wig, makeup, and a coat. She goes over to a party that is taking place at night on the resort, and she spots Tom drinking heavily. She starts to dance on her own, having a good time. She sees Jade leaving the party, and she goes after her, and they confess their feelings for each other. 

Jade and Ruth spend the night together, and the film ends with Ruth going back into the ocean, a smile on her face, as Jade watches. 

When I was done watching the film, I immediately went online to read about the significance of the woman in the red hair. 

Fans believe that the red hair was the actual identity of Ruth, who was terrified to embrace her real self. And at the end of the movie, we see Ruth put on the red wig that Jade had made, who becomes her girlfriend. 

I liked how the film used horror elements throughout the entire movie. I kept thinking that something was up with the resort, that maybe it was some kind of cult where women in red hair would be sacrificed or something like that, but I was left surprised when it wasn’t a horror movie after all. 

I love it when films do something like this. It was a pretty creative experiment, and I can see why fans loved this film. It was secretly a coming-of-age story, that was disguised as a horror movie!