This is just the kind of film I like, so strange that you can not fit it into anything. It is like a mixture of a very dark film noir and a romantic musical, without the singing (well there is one very beautiful musical number that would have been perfect in Sound of Music) but the rest of the romantic innocent scenes is like scenes from music-less musical; artificial, borderline fake and over the top.
Mixing these two things together, side by side, is really strange but it does work. It kind of reminded me of The Night of the Hunter and Blue Velvet. A mixture of charming innocence and real darkness. Someone who does something like this is either a reincarnation of Ed Wood or a genius. I believe the latter. Wonderfully twisted, just the way a film should be :)
Constance Towers is incredible in this movie, which is hard to categorize. It feels like the intersection of exploitation cinema with the small-town morality stories of Frank Capra. It's got some sexual politics and agendas that seem a little dated and can come off heavy handed in establishing its concepts of innocence and the contrasts between the "two worlds" it presents, but is ultimately an interesting and worthwhile viewing.
This movie is so amazing I cannot even find the right words to describe it. I kept thinking I know what was going to happen but I really had no idea. And Constance Towers as Kelly is so amazing, I think I'm in love with her ;)
Opening up right from the middle of a scene where the lead character is beating up her pimp, a jazz-score playing on the background strengthening the mood, with her wig falling off revealing a shaved head and the camera up close, continuing with the character putting her hair and make-up back on in front of a mirror with the opening credits appearing in front, was a great intro and really put me on a mood for seeing something different, a film noir going on some serious rounds.
The effect of the opening gradually faded, unfortunately, with the movie settling in to a pretty straight and even dragging story of the main character trying to live a normal life. The aggressiveness of the character that appears in a few scenes is something you may not see too often in movies like these, but that was a pretty small thing. Whether it's the storyline or the main character, nothing that interesting happened.
The much talked about twist - which they probably relied on too much - is played out mostly just in a way that is saying 'this character just can't get a break can she?', as an attempt for the viewer to feel sorry for her, and that was all there was to it. The movie definitely didn't do anything after it. I knew of it before watching, so maybe it would have worked different if I didn't, I don't know. But I don't know if I want to give the movie points for merely mentioning a taboo topic. I did kept thinking at first that it might concern the detective, and maybe that would have worked at least a bit better (though it might have also had almost the same effect with me), as it was now concerning an eccentric random character that had been barely introduced - with the lead character instantly falling in love with him.
The scene where the detective and Constance Towers' lead character are arguing after she gets the job in the hospital was kind of baffling, with the way the detective starts yelling at her so out of nowhere and the way she joins in melodramatically, I immediately started to wonder if the characters, or just the detective, were having a joke between them.
I died right from the first scene. 'You can't kill your audience that early': first lesson in the Big Narrative Book. 'Wait at least the end of the opening credits to let you be booed, and then, you can finish your audience with your usual stupid bald stuff.'
Add your comment
Comments 1 - 7 of 7
Thorkell
This is just the kind of film I like, so strange that you can not fit it into anything. It is like a mixture of a very dark film noir and a romantic musical, without the singing (well there is one very beautiful musical number that would have been perfect in Sound of Music) but the rest of the romantic innocent scenes is like scenes from music-less musical; artificial, borderline fake and over the top.Mixing these two things together, side by side, is really strange but it does work. It kind of reminded me of The Night of the Hunter and Blue Velvet. A mixture of charming innocence and real darkness. Someone who does something like this is either a reincarnation of Ed Wood or a genius. I believe the latter. Wonderfully twisted, just the way a film should be :)
senorroboto
Constance Towers is incredible in this movie, which is hard to categorize. It feels like the intersection of exploitation cinema with the small-town morality stories of Frank Capra. It's got some sexual politics and agendas that seem a little dated and can come off heavy handed in establishing its concepts of innocence and the contrasts between the "two worlds" it presents, but is ultimately an interesting and worthwhile viewing.Camille Deadpan
This movie is so amazing I cannot even find the right words to describe it. I kept thinking I know what was going to happen but I really had no idea. And Constance Towers as Kelly is so amazing, I think I'm in love with her ;)the3rdman
Campy suburban noir with visual flair and a tough heroine.Jpit
Opening up right from the middle of a scene where the lead character is beating up her pimp, a jazz-score playing on the background strengthening the mood, with her wig falling off revealing a shaved head and the camera up close, continuing with the character putting her hair and make-up back on in front of a mirror with the opening credits appearing in front, was a great intro and really put me on a mood for seeing something different, a film noir going on some serious rounds.The effect of the opening gradually faded, unfortunately, with the movie settling in to a pretty straight and even dragging story of the main character trying to live a normal life. The aggressiveness of the character that appears in a few scenes is something you may not see too often in movies like these, but that was a pretty small thing. Whether it's the storyline or the main character, nothing that interesting happened.
The much talked about twist - which they probably relied on too much - is played out mostly just in a way that is saying 'this character just can't get a break can she?', as an attempt for the viewer to feel sorry for her, and that was all there was to it. The movie definitely didn't do anything after it. I knew of it before watching, so maybe it would have worked different if I didn't, I don't know. But I don't know if I want to give the movie points for merely mentioning a taboo topic. I did kept thinking at first that it might concern the detective, and maybe that would have worked at least a bit better (though it might have also had almost the same effect with me), as it was now concerning an eccentric random character that had been barely introduced - with the lead character instantly falling in love with him.
The scene where the detective and Constance Towers' lead character are arguing after she gets the job in the hospital was kind of baffling, with the way the detective starts yelling at her so out of nowhere and the way she joins in melodramatically, I immediately started to wonder if the characters, or just the detective, were having a joke between them.
Limbesdautomne
I died right from the first scene. 'You can't kill your audience that early': first lesson in the Big Narrative Book. 'Wait at least the end of the opening credits to let you be booed, and then, you can finish your audience with your usual stupid bald stuff.'Read more in hairy French on La Saveur des goûts amers.
Skyscore
http://www.afisha.ru/movie/170150/review/146381/