Whenever I sit down to watch a movie, I tend to look for the ones with a sense of uniqueness about them. I look for a movie with a story I have never seen before.

This past weekend was no different. 

As I searched through the extensive list of Netflix movies, I came across a more recent release which caught my eye — the movie “Rebecca.”

I was immediately drawn to the vintage feel of the movie, as it takes place in the 1930s of Europe. The trailer also showed a beautiful manor home where the majority of the movie takes place and captivated me with its old money vibe.

The movie “Rebecca” — on its surface — looks like a dark romance movie with a splash of mystery thrown in, which is essentially what the movie is. 

However, this movie continued to surprise me as I watched. 

Based on the novel by Daphne du Maurier, “Rebecca” follows the main character Mrs. De Winter (Lily James), a young woman who falls in love with a wealthy widowed man. The couple moves into the man’s manor home where the majority of the plot takes place.

As Mrs. De Winter learns more about the home and her new husband’s late wife Rebecca, she begins to realize there is more to her husband’s past relationship that he refuses to share.

Mrs. De Winter’s life in her new home is constantly haunted by the memory of Rebecca and the expectations placed on her as she learns to manage life in the manor.

As soon as I started watching “Rebecca,” I was captivated by the dark romance and the mystery which was layered into every detail of the movie. I couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen.

The movie’s ending also provided me with an unexpected twist which had me on the edge of my seat and my mind reeling trying to figure out if all of the characters would be alright.

Despite my enjoyment of the movie as a whole, I was disappointed with Mrs. De Winter’s character.

I felt her character was rather flat without much emotional dimensions to her. The only emotions I really saw from her were embarrassment and timidity. The fact that we never learn her first name also adds to the lack of depth for her character.

While the absence of her first name might add to the mystery of the film, I thought it made her character harder to connect with.

Outside of her lack of emotional depth, Mrs. De Winter’s character treated her new home as if she was a guest staying for the weekend rather than her place of residency. She constantly wandered around the manor looking over her shoulder as if she were doing something wrong.

My only other complaint was that the movie felt long in some places, as though some of the scenes dragged on longer than necessary. But, this didn’t take away from my enjoyment.

Despite Mrs. De Winter’s character flaws and the sometimes endless scenes, I thought the movie “Rebecca” was really well done and I enjoyed it a lot.

The plot was well thought out and orchestrated, managing to keep me guessing the whole time. 

“Rebecca” was a refreshing turn of pace for me and gave me a much needed break from all of those sappy Christmas movies. 

So, if you’re looking for something different to watch this holiday season, check out “Rebecca” to experience the mystery firsthand.

Smith can be reached at [email protected].