Tamsyn Emma

I feel like people who say this plot spirals into nonsense are just missing the layers of meaning woven into the film. The monster is the desperate attempt that many women end up making at trying to stay young until they have completely warped their faces, and then the love and attention they were trying to keep getting is then just shoved back at them anyway, and they are ostracised or ridiculed as looking monstrous. (ie. Madonna or ‘the bride of wildenstein’). The creepy Hollywood, paedophile vibes the film gives off felt very much to me like they ARE a commentary on that thing. I didn’t think all the men in the film were awful… I thought the guy from school trying to take her on a date would have appreciated her as she was, but she missed that opportunity to connect with him because she was too busy hating herself. It rang true to me, that that’s what can happen sometimes. I loved this film. I thought it was amazing. It does become completely ridiculous, but it felt self aware in that ridiculousness, and so many of the images, even the blood being cleaned off the star at the end, were metaphors. That last one being about the impermanence of all of us and the futility of chasing ego driven success. It was like watching Death Becomes Her, mashed up with Requiem for a Dream and that Benny Benassi music video for Push Me. Even the way the new show was more sexualised for Qualley’s character felt very accurate for how overly sexualised all of tv has become over the decades. I’ve always been fascinated by surgery, ageing and the pressures of getting older, as a woman, so much of this really struck a chord with me. As well as making me laugh and keeping me transfixed right until the end. Will definitely watch again!