Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri. © 2023 MGM, Orion Pictures, and Brownstone Productions.
Directed by Emma Seligman.
For Your Consideration (FYC) Screener
Creating a Fight Club Can Help You Get To Your Crush. Fight Club but for lesbians? Well, that is a twist for sure and it does its job well. Director Emma Seligman is back with her sophomore feature Bottoms, after directing and collaborating with Rachel Sennott on her debut film Shiva Baby. A film that not only has laughs, blood, and fighting, but a film that has heart and a sense of awkwardness and love that aren't present in recent high school films. It is a film that caters to Gen Z audiences but it hits the right moments, story elements, and even some nostalgia factor that works in total as a high school film. Yet, it also embraces queer cinema with many risks that pulled off in the end. Let's take a look at the Rockbridge Falls High School yearbook and read about this so-called, "fight club", that everyone is talking about. Wait, I can't talk about Fight Club. Story: Unpopular best friends PJ and Josie start a high school fight club to meet girls and lose their virginity. They soon find themselves in over their heads when the most popular students start beating each other up in the name of self-defense. I had no expectations going into this film and I was surprised with the amount of edgy humor and heart from this film. It is totally bonkers with the comedy and direction Seligman was aiming for. Some of the more recent high school movies don't hit that well-rounded comedy edge or even the aggressiveness that this generation usually finds funny. In my personal experience, the comedy that I grew up on was mostly dark humor throughout high school and there was a lot of mature humor instead of safe humor. Seligman figures it out right from the first scene and keeps the jokes fresh and hilarious throughout while still giving it a meaningful context that makes the joke impactful. Even with some of the unintentional humor, it still naturally works. The amount of references from Fight Club and other high school films like Mean Girls really worked within each scene context and punch-line. From the queer humor to the absurdity of high school drama, the film makes fun of our high school experience and the typical tropes and clichés we see in real-life high school and high school films as well. Even with the bombastic comedy, the story and characters are the strongest core elements that make the comedy funny and even natural.
It is a breeze of a film but the story is engaging throughout with a lot of interesting aspects that keep the story flowing while keeping the energy as high as possible. The friendship between PJ and Josie was strong and their conflicts of the club made their friendship feel like a sinking ship in a good way. Josie being the introverted yet the real leader of the club made me appreciate her character. There were points where I cared more about her rather than PJ. However, I still cared about PJ's journey on her crush but there was more of a focus with Josie in this story. Yet, there is a balance between these characters and everyone has a happy ending by the third act. I was surprised that Rachel Sennott's character PJ, was more of a douchebag and their troubling friendship started to crack in the second act. I thought that relationship was necessary and it worked well with their personal goals they had. Even though PJ was a jerk in the film, her character arc redemption was good and Sennott's performance was hilarious. Of the supporting characters, Hazel (Ruby Cruz) was the most hilarious character from the club group. Her personality is through the roof and she makes the comedy funnier but her dramatic scenes are effective to her character flaws. The smartly written screenplay makes these characters feel real with personal and story stakes that keep the energy of the story still high. Some unexpected moments made the comedy even more funnier and it doesn't waste its time with the awkwardness of certain situations. It is fast and it allows the story to focus on the troubling goals and friendship of PJ and Josie. Even if the story is short, it doesn't waste its time and gets right into the comedy tone and conflicts that create this high energy that Seligman is aiming for and it worked very well. With this film being a much bigger budget compared to her last film, there are a lot of interesting technical elements that she pulled off well.
With this film carrying an 11.3 million dollar budget, it looks more higher with some of its bigger sequences, especially the final act. The cinematography is solid with a lot of well-shot sequences and the coloring is vibrant with its story tone. The production design of the high school and its home game design is nostalgic and the music choices are not that bad. There is some VFX in the film and it looks very clean which I am surprised. Overall, it is a solid well-made film with the budget being used to the max. With all the positives I encountered, I also encountered the flaws that I noticed throughout. There are certain characters that needed to be more developed and some could have been more interesting. Brittany (Kaia Gerber) was the typical popular high school girl that some people didn't like. Her character didn't work for me in the end but I liked her performance. Some of the other characters were okay but PJ's goal to hook up with Brittany wasn't as strong as Josie's journey. It felt like Josie was more of the main character which made PJ's journey a bit underwhelming but it picked up more during the final act. As for the comedy, some jokes didn't land or were a bit cringe. Luckily, it wasn't a lot. Some of the plot elements didn't click for certain scenes like the football team scenes. Those scenes were not good and I didn't care for them by the end. Even with those critiques, Seligman's direction of this story was fresh and fun from beginning to end. From the humor to the typical high school romance, Bottoms takes its spin on the high school sub-genre and makes it hilarious and fun. The comedy hits well, the characters are well-written, and the absurdity of the high school environment is well thought out. It's a simple high school comedy film but Seligman's direction of the story makes this film more engaging and fun. Definitely a surprise film and I can't wait to see what Seligman would do next.
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Vizeit Score: "A-"
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Copyright © 2024 Vizeit Reviews / Vizeit Studios. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC])
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Barry Keoghan. © 2023 Amazon MGM Studios, MRC, LuckyChap Entertainment, and Lie Still. Directed by Emerald Fennell.
Watched it at 59th The Chicago International Film Festival @ Music Box (CIFF #2)
Q&A Section Included We're All About to Lose Our Minds After the amazing crazy film from Emerald Fennell's directorial debut, she amps up the eroticism and insanity of her characters which leads to unexpected turns. That is what best defined for Fennell's sophomore feature Saltburn. It takes approaches that are risky yet rewarding through the protagonist and the characters surrounding him. Not a lot of people will approach and take away from this film in a positive light but it sure does serve a pack a punch throughout its daring sequences. Let's go to Saltburn and see the wonderfulness of this unique broken estate. Story: A student at Oxford University finds himself drawn into the world of a charming and aristocratic classmate, who invites him to his eccentric family's sprawling estate for a summer never to be forgotten. The sensation of this film is all over the place but in a good way. Fennell's unique screenplay really delves into the psychological mind of Oliver (Barry Keoghan) and his insane love for Felix (Jacob Elordi). His character arc starts slow but as the film progresses, the flow of the energy doesn't stop. The relationship between Oliver and Felix is very well written. There is nuance through Oliver's point of view of the palace and his feelings towards Felix's family. It touches on each one of them through Oliver's point of view and it's well-balanced to see how he feels about the family. The structure here in the film is similar to her past film but a bit longer which does add depth to Oliver but also adds tension to each character's dilemma. Alongside her unique script, Fennell's directing here is amazing. There are unique moments in the film that give an artsy vibe while giving a thriller or horror vibe. Her creative decisions here could be polarizing because there are scenes in the film that will leave you a bit traumatized or disgusted. However, it lets you get inside the mind of the character in those scenes which opens the vulnerability of that character. It's clever writing and direction with the support of the amazing performances from each actor. Barry Keoghan is great in the film. He gets to play a unique character who is seeking love and something more erotic. His performance is wild in the second half but he really encaptivates the character and it's a wild ride from start to finish. Jacob Elordi is also surprisingly great. After only seeing him in Euphoria (thank god I didn't watch The Kissing Both), I was hoping he would play a character that would not only fit his personality but play a character that allow a bit of character freedom. What I can report back is that this is his best performance since Euphoria. His character and performance are charming in a way that could be very jocky. Yet, his chemistry with Keoghan's character is very daunting and intimate. The supporting cast here all around are great. The biggest standouts would be Rosamund Pike and Richard E. Grant. They elevate the drama and comedy in the film. Plus, their chemistry with each other characters is unnatural yet good. As I mentioned in my last paragraph, the screenplay alongside its story is well written. There are interesting unique twist and turns that elevates the plot and the climax. The plot lets you be with the characters in the good and weird moments while the eroticism and beauty start to take over the story. You can even look at this film's story as a chaotic party family drama but really, it's a vampire story. Without spoilers, during a Q&A panel with Fennell, she said "We just knew exactly the kind of gothic, sort of, sexy. kind of, erotic thing, we wanted to make. And I think with Suzie Davies, the production designer, and with everyone else too, I think the thing is if we are making something this kind of, I suppose, knowingly aesthetic, that kind of took place on sort of beautyism and literature, your sort of acknowledging things but also making your own thing." (Taken from a Post Q&A during the Chicago International Film Festival 2023).
With the aesthetics and gothic storytelling that inspired this original story, Fennell wants audiences to be clear that when Keoghan's character journey begins at the estate, it's going to be erotic, chilling, and jolting. See the film for yourself and you will come out with many reactions all at once. Even with its psychological story, Fennell made sure the technical side of the film hits the spot to bring this story to life.
Fennell went all in with the cinematography, production design, and even editing of this film. I really dig the academy aspect ratio which allows the beauty of the production design done by Davies to be shown in its full glory. Plus, Linus Sandgren's camera work here is beautiful and colorful as well. I really love the mixture of orange, red, and blue colors including the close-ups in this film. The estate is pretty enormous and the way they shot it is very smooth. Plus, there are interesting framing choices that allow the audience to delve into a certain character. The editing here is also great with its smooth pacing and the score feels so romantic yet daunting and un-natural. The costume designs here are underrated, especially during the big party scene. Overall, it's a very well-made technical film that helps bring the story to its full potential. However, there are flaws behind this magnificent estate of a film. The film can be a bit of a mess with its plot. There is a lot to take in and while it keeps you entertained, it can be a bit too much all at once. There were moments when I had no idea what was going on yet, but I was still entertained. Again, there are interesting directing choices that people will be divisive on but I thought they were darkly smart. However, the film tries to juggle some ideas or plot strings that need to match the overall story or even the intentions of the protagonist. The biggest scene that people will love or hate will be the ending. For me, I thought it was a solid ending but it left me questioning about the state of the protagonist and the world around him. Even with those small flaws, I was still thrilled by the film's nature of its story and characters. Beyond the beautiful darkly estate full of emotions and desires, this is Fennell's most unapologetic sexy, and daring film that she has made. Filled with great performances from Barry Keoghan and Rosamund Pike, alongside its unique screenplay and story, it's a film that dares to tackle unique subjects and themes that ultimately surround desires and temptation. While this film will slip under the radar during awards season, it is sure a film that doesn't hold back on anything it is showing. Especially that grave scene...yeah, I drank bleach right after that.
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Vizeit Score: "A-"
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Copyright © 2023 Vizeit Reviews. All Rights Reserved. Review Written By: Everardo Garcia Jr. Editor In-Chief/Owner of Vizeit Reviews | (Chicago Indie Critics Member [CIC]) |
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