Alex Ross Perry is an interesting dark humorist of the
independent cinema scene, as evidenced quite clearly by last year’s Listen Up Philip. He was very literary sensibilities that
haven’t really been popular since old Hollywood, where star power was more
important than it ever would be after and the best films were remembered for
their performances more than anything else.
Though humor isn’t absent from Perry’s latest endeavor, to call Queen of Earth a comedy would be
somewhat a stretch, as this film is less evocative of Perry’s acerbic wit as
it is of his ability to coax a brilliant performance from Elizabeth Moss, who
for once lets go of the subtle nuances of her characters to delve deep into
psychological peril.
Two friends, Catharine (Moss) and Ginny (Katherine
Waterston), take their yearly trip to a cabin in the woods in order to escape
from the stresses of their everyday lives.
The previous year, Catharine had brought along her boyfriend as Ginny
was going through a difficult break-up, leaving Ginny to deal with her
depression alone. This year, Catharine
has similarly lost her romantic interest, but also has lost her embezzling father
to prison and thus is in a similar situation when Ginny brings along her
romantic interest, Rich (Patrick Fugit).
What’s interesting about this scenario is that Catharine’s
character is perhaps one of the most feminist portrayals of the madwoman trope ever
put to film. Moss’s performance is
reminiscent of Ingrid Bergman’s body of work, with the same kinds of creepy
infantilization and incoherent murmurs interspersed with nonsensical
laughter. However, Catherine’s madness
is a metaphor for something more than pure hysteria, as she is a woman
conditioned to need the support of a man in order to remain functional. It becomes apparent that her father sheltered
her from the world with wealth, thereby fostering a dependent personality that
needs dominant masculinity present in order to maintain a personal
identity. Similarly, the flashbacks to
her past relationship show her as completely co-dependent and in denial of such
co-dependency when an embittered Ginny points it out. Catherine may be psychologically weak, but
her weakness is understandable based on her conditioning to believe that men
need to define her role in life, and her inability to cope is a direct result
of that male manipulation.
As fantastic as this portrayal is, though, the film is not
without its faults. There is a late
scene where Catharine and Ginny throw a party for no discernable reason, and
the only purpose is to stage a hackneyed everyone-attacking-me delusion for
Catharine. Furthermore, there are times
when Ginny’s presence seems entirely superfluous, especially since her
character exists primarily as a grounded foil for Catharine’s insanity. Ginny is supposed to represent how Catharine
could have developed had her upbringing not emotionally crippled her, but she
feels irrelevant when Moss sells Catharine’s struggle so effectively.
If you’re looking for something below the radar this Oscar
season, Queen of Earth is a pretty
great alternative to the accolades and fanfare of the next few months. It won’t be getting any awards, but it certainly
deserves to garner a fan following.
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