Rouge

In Mona Awad's 'Rouge,' Belle, a woman long obsessed with skincare videos and her own skin, finds her world upended by the sudden, mysterious death of her estranged mother, Noelle. Returning to Southern California, Belle is confronted not only with her mother's considerable debts but also with lingering questions about her demise. The intrigue deepens at the funeral when a strange woman in red offers a cryptic clue, followed by a video promoting a transformative spa experience. Drawn in by a pair of red shoes, Belle is lured into the cult-like embrace of La Maison de Méduse, the very same lavish spa to which her mother was devoted. There, Belle begins to unearth the disturbing truth behind her — and her mother's — obsessive gaze into the mirror, discovering the 'great shimmering depths (and demons)' that lie beyond the reflection. Blending Snow White with Eyes Wide Shut, 'Rouge' is a surreal and darkly humorous descent into the perils of beauty, envy, grief, and the complex, often fraught, love between mothers and daughters, all while satirizing the insidious nature of the beauty industry.