monkeygirl Posted January 24 Share Posted January 24 I went to this film by myself recently-it didn't seem like the kind if thing my Florida friends would enjoy and boy was I right! Have you seen it? I'm torn about it but we may be able to discuss it well even if nobody else has seen it yet. It's difficult to adequately explain. It's sort of a feminized Frankenstein tale with a really odd, disgusting twist. Emma Stone plays the creature, Bella, and is pretty interesting in the role. Mark Ruffalo plays one of her lovers and he just turns my stomach in his role. Willam Dafoe is her creator, Godwyn, mostly referred to as "God". The cinematography is fanciful, breathtaking at times, absurd at others. It's set in a stylized Victorian era. The soundtrack is cacaphony. Outside Frankenstein vibes, you've never seen this film. But...Stone plays a woman whose mind is infantile to adolescent and the men in the film do nothing but take advantage of her and abuse her. Or do they? She initiates it all-so how much are the men responsible for? I wanted to enjoy the thing for its bizarre aspects-and there are many-but that abuse thing was just permeating everything. Is it just me?? Have you ever heard of Yorgos Lanthimos, the director? I take it he's known for the bizarre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.CAllen Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Haven’t seen the movie. Is the movie misogynist? How? It’s several thousand feet of 35mm Ektachrome! It’s a ... it’s a file on the computer! Does it come to life at night and beat its wife? Is it married to the projector? Is the director misogynist? Maybe but I think he’s just Greek. I’ve only seen three of his movies. I think watching this new movie he did and thinking he’s a misogynist would be like watching those other three movies and thinking he condones incest and animal-human hybridization and the British monarchy. Are the actors misogynists? Mark Ruffalo went to the women’s march. Is he in that movie? Again, I haven’t seen it. Is ... is Emma Stone a misogynist? If so, she’s playing a deep game. Willem Dafoe!? But ... he’s from Appleton, Wisconsin! I’ve got to believe the best of him. Is the audience misogynist? Does the movie make the audience misogynist? The movie’s been out there for, like, six months! If it was causing some wave of misogyny I think people would’ve noticed. Then again, think how much LESS misogynistic our world would be if Alasdair Gray had kicked it back in the 1980s. We’ll never know!!!!1! I don’t know. I shouldn’t make fun. There are works of art where both the circumstances of production and the actual output — actresses getting told to take their tops off or they’d be fired from a giallo all about how sometimes ladies just deserve stabbing, that sort of thing — are such that it’s fair to describe the works themselves as misogynist. I don’t think those are the kinds of things that get Oscar nominated. Not no more. Society is progressing! Forward or backward? Who can say? I’m kind of like Lee Marvin when it comes to this. There’s not ENOUGH misogyny in the movies! (I should say for the sake of clarity that I’m kidding, I’m goofing, I’m joshing. Everybody deserves to be treated super duper nice all the time always. But my point is that artistic work shouldn’t be hampered by a risk of being seen by a hostile audience as an embodiment of a negative societal force. Artists should feel free to get ooky with it. To sincerely embrace aspects and elements which might make people uncomfortable, y’know? It’s make believe. It’s made up. Claire Denis responding to a journalist at a junket who asked her why she didn’t make films with strong female leads with a curt, “I’m not a social worker.” That sort of thing. That sort of deal.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeygirl Posted January 26 Author Share Posted January 26 You raise great points especially that you haven't seen the film Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.CAllen Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 Thanks! I spoilered my takes — so hot! — for that very reason. Easily ignorable! Easily skippable! Easily dismissable! You’re welcome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeygirl Posted January 27 Author Share Posted January 27 but you led me to the conclusion with little discussion... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R.CAllen Posted January 29 Share Posted January 29 Well, in that case, you’re welcome — or I’m sorry! whichever applies best in this situation! — for that too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D-Ray Kenobi Posted March 4 Share Posted March 4 I watched it the other night, I am kinda conflicted about it but still loved it. (Spoilers ahead.) To me, the basic idea of what it's trying to say is that a woman is trying to assert herself and her own independence outside of a man's influence. At the beginning, she's created by a man. A man is telling another man he has his permission to marry her and take ownership. A man offers her a way out of that to go on her adventure, but on his terms. As she matures, she starts realizing she can make her own choices and eventually takes ownership of her own life and kind of puts all these toxic men in their places. I loved all that, but I honestly felt a little awkward having to sit still with a bunch of scenes that realistically should have gotten this movie an NC-17. I get it that you have to show her owning her own sexuality, but to me it just was so over the top about that that it felt like it eventually detracted from the point. You can show a scene or two and then just leave the rest to the viewers imagination. I get that. And maybe it was intentional to make the audience a bit uncomfortable with that, but it just didn't work for me personally. Overall though, I still really enjoyed the hell out of it and totally get why it's a Best Picture nominee. Emma Stone absolutely rocked that role, you totally end up rooting for her to take that agency and ownership and she comes out on top in such a satisfying way at the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
monkeygirl Posted March 7 Author Share Posted March 7 It's evident now I was just triggered by the owning of her sexuality Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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