Scarlet Diva
TIFF [2000]
 |
| Scarlet Diva |
(Italy 2000)91 minutes
Cast: Asia Argento, Jean Shepard, Vera Gemma, Daria Nicolodi
Written and directed by Asia Argento
THE STORY
Anna Battista, a popular young actress and "restless romantic"
of 24, engages on a hedonistic, self-destructive spree across Europe
and to America in an effort to reinvent herself an "artist",
hoping to shed her boytoy image and realize her aspirations to direct
a semi-autobiographical film entitled "Scarlet Diva". After
rescuing her friend from an abusive relationship, fleeing sleazy film
producers in Los Angeles, and falling in love with a philandering rock
star, Anna becomes pregnant and relies increasingly on drugs to cope
with the heartbreak her ambitions have brought her, driving her deeper
in fantasy and self-loathing.
ROBERT L'S REVIEW
|
Talk Back
|
Asia Argento's directorial debut may be a shrill, rambling confession/fantasy,
but it's also a remarkably assured and passionate work from a young
woman who obviously learned a lot about pushing the filmmaking envelope
from hanging around on the sets of her father's innovative "giallo"
chillers (and acting in a couple, too). Some may find it--understandably--a
noisy, tawdry egofest chock full of freshman effort pretensions, but
I thought that in its best moments "Scarlet Diva" reminded
me of "The Stendahl Syndrome" as ghost-written by Irvine Welsh.
There's certainly enough drug use, nudity (Argento certainly appears
to hold no inhibitions as a performer or a filmmaker), and weird montages
to keep one engrossed for an hour-and-a-half, even after the (seemingly)
33rd nervous breakdown scene. Produced by Dario and Claudio Argento,
costarring Daria Nicolodi, and with visual effects by Sergio Stivaletti,
"Scarlet Diva" is the next best thing to a new Dario Argento
film until a new one ("Insomnia"?) comes along. Given his
last film, the tepid "Phantom Of the Opera" remake, poppa
would do well to take a few notes from his daughter, too.
- Robert
L
Talk Back
|
:
Movie Message
Board Movie Chat
Rooms 
