I saw the trailer for Greta and thought it could be a perfect ‘date night’ film to drag my husband along to. He hates a scary film, so, sadly, I don’t get to see them at the cinema very often. The trailer made this film look like it might just be on the cusp of scary – with more than a smattering of psychological suffering to carry the story along and (hopefully) make it at least watchable, if not enjoyable, for us both.

The premise of the story is simple: young Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz) finds a handbag on the New York subway. 'Lost and Found' is in darkness, so she takes it upon herself to return it in person (handily, there is a driving licence in the bag). Right at the beginning of the film, one really must suspend all disbelief; are people kind and naïve enough to perform such altruistic acts of generosity these days? Anyway, ignoring the cynic in my head (according to my husband, I am one of the people who is probably naïve enough to do something like this, but I’m just playing Devil’s Advocate here), let’s just go with it for now. The owner of the handbag is the eponymous Greta (Isabelle Huppert), an older lady and grateful widow, lonely since her husband’s death and her daughter’s move to France. The odd pairing strikes up a friendship - Frances, having just lost her mother, perhaps sees a kindred spirit in Greta. Predictably, the friendship quickly turns into something Frances was not anticipating.

While the plot seems rather pedestrian, it is down to director Neil Jordan (Interview with a Vampire) and his two main players that the film is more palatable and watchable than it might have been in less experienced and talented hands.

Without Huppert’s rather astonishingly Machiavellian, chameleonic performance as Greta, the film would undoubtedly have been instantly forgettable.She is almost balletic in her execution; the subtle twitches and facial tics intensifying as the film progresses, countering her potentially declining grip on reality.

Moretz plays the sweet naïve Frances equally well. Her wholesomeness juxtaposes with Huppert’s manic performance sufficiently to prevent the film falling into farce. With back-up from Maika Monroe as Frances’ rich friend and flatmate, Erika, providing a clear voice of reason, along with a brief glimpse of Jordan stalwart Stephen Rea, this film had plenty going on to keep me entertained. Please don’t get me started on Morton, the beautiful, shaggy dog Frances helps Greta adopt at the beginning of their friendship!

The haunting score composed by Academy Award winner Javier Navarette (Pan’s Labyrinth) may be complemented with various upbeat, quirky tracks, but it ultimately had me plugging my ears with my fingers more often than a grown woman should admit to, anticipating potential ‘jump-scares’ that almost never arrived when expected.

While I am not an aficionado of thrillers, psychological or otherwise, my husband and I both came out of the screening having enjoyed, if that’s the appropriate word, our evening’s entertainment.I just can’t help but struggle with the idea that anyone would really think it a good idea to hand-deliver a bag found on the subway, in the first place...