abdulmustabeen
Joined Nov 2020
Welcome to the new profile
We're still working on updating some profile features. To see the badges, ratings breakdowns, and polls for this profile, please go to the previous version.
Reviews2
abdulmustabeen's rating
Came to write this after seeing its gala screening at the London film festival.
A wild, insane roller coaster of a film that mixes crime, comedy, musical and thriller all into one and succeeds with flying colours!
The four actresses at the core are the strength and they were directed to perfection by Audiard.
Karla plays her character pre transition and post as it comes to her naturally, having underdone it publicly as an actor. It's a powerhouse performance that is so of our time. I'm proud to be alive in a time when a trans actress plays a trans role. And not only that, she nails it. The tragedy of leaving a life but the promise of the one she's always needed.
Zoe gets to sing, dance, cry and laugh and everything which I think an actor dreams of doing, let alone in one film. I had never seen a film of hers before and I am so happy this was my first because she shines! There's a scene of her in a car, where realising what has just transpired, she breaks down in hysteria. Think Margo in I, Tonya or Glenn in Dangerous Liasons. That scene alone should win her an Academy award. And she has a beautiful voice!
Selena, for whom I was most excited to see this film, kicks it out of the ballpark. Playing a mob wife, that icy, storm-simmering-below-the-surface kind of woman which she needs to revisit IMO because as a young girl who endured intense scrutiny and then went through a psychosis, she knows it too well what's it like to keep a lid on too long. The one time during the screening where I felt I was having an out of body experience is where her character Jessi finally unleashes her emotions onto us the audience after years of being oppressed. The agony and anger is heard in her voice. It's evidence of why she has said acting is her true calling and how passionate she is about it. It would be stupid to still think she's a disney kid and still has something to prove. Her acting journey is truly so exciting as a fan of almost 2 decades.
Lastly, Adrianas character is like the sunshine in the otherwise dark and twisted world the film lives in. She is poignant! And it perfectly complements the other 3 actresses work. She brings love and softness to the story through her work.
One major thing to note is that this film is like an opera. It reminds one of the Umbrellas of Cherbourg, which was also almost entirely sung. Emotionally it's definitely intense like one, with small moments of calm when you realise you're watching a film.
The cinematography was brilliant. At the end of the film, selenas character lays almost unconscious on the passenger seat as her lover drives in rage. The way the camera pans across the car to her face... it felt like a painting, very poetic but tragic.
So glad to have watched it before it's netflix release. It's amazing when a film can make you feel like this. To take you out of your normal and drive you a bit crazy.
A wild, insane roller coaster of a film that mixes crime, comedy, musical and thriller all into one and succeeds with flying colours!
The four actresses at the core are the strength and they were directed to perfection by Audiard.
Karla plays her character pre transition and post as it comes to her naturally, having underdone it publicly as an actor. It's a powerhouse performance that is so of our time. I'm proud to be alive in a time when a trans actress plays a trans role. And not only that, she nails it. The tragedy of leaving a life but the promise of the one she's always needed.
Zoe gets to sing, dance, cry and laugh and everything which I think an actor dreams of doing, let alone in one film. I had never seen a film of hers before and I am so happy this was my first because she shines! There's a scene of her in a car, where realising what has just transpired, she breaks down in hysteria. Think Margo in I, Tonya or Glenn in Dangerous Liasons. That scene alone should win her an Academy award. And she has a beautiful voice!
Selena, for whom I was most excited to see this film, kicks it out of the ballpark. Playing a mob wife, that icy, storm-simmering-below-the-surface kind of woman which she needs to revisit IMO because as a young girl who endured intense scrutiny and then went through a psychosis, she knows it too well what's it like to keep a lid on too long. The one time during the screening where I felt I was having an out of body experience is where her character Jessi finally unleashes her emotions onto us the audience after years of being oppressed. The agony and anger is heard in her voice. It's evidence of why she has said acting is her true calling and how passionate she is about it. It would be stupid to still think she's a disney kid and still has something to prove. Her acting journey is truly so exciting as a fan of almost 2 decades.
Lastly, Adrianas character is like the sunshine in the otherwise dark and twisted world the film lives in. She is poignant! And it perfectly complements the other 3 actresses work. She brings love and softness to the story through her work.
One major thing to note is that this film is like an opera. It reminds one of the Umbrellas of Cherbourg, which was also almost entirely sung. Emotionally it's definitely intense like one, with small moments of calm when you realise you're watching a film.
The cinematography was brilliant. At the end of the film, selenas character lays almost unconscious on the passenger seat as her lover drives in rage. The way the camera pans across the car to her face... it felt like a painting, very poetic but tragic.
So glad to have watched it before it's netflix release. It's amazing when a film can make you feel like this. To take you out of your normal and drive you a bit crazy.
I read a, quite frankly, stupid Guardian review of this film prior to watching and I was scared justice had not been served to my idol, the woman with whom I've always felt a connection. But boy was I glad when I finished watching the doc.
The documentary is woven together by Audrey in her own words, acheived by tapes she recorded for a journalist in the 90s, I believe. I cried too much during this film because here was a human, who nearly starved to death during a war and came out of it with the promise of happy children for the future only to be betrayed by the false promises of a capitalist and post-colonial society. Audrey had immense sorrow in her. From the abandonment of her father, to the war and the eventual disloyalty from her partners. But at the end, Audrey found love. She did find someone who understood her and she did find respite by opening the eyes of the world to what the inhumane politics of the 20th century did to the lives of the innocent new citizens of this Earth. Audrey was one of a kind. Her legacy of being a fashion icon is touched upon early on in the film too, as the mood changes from light to dark. No doubt, her fashion will always inspire us. Because the woman who wore it had heart. The lines, the colors and the mood followed which then created a character like no other. Audrey, you are alive more than ever...