Maybe it's just that I'm a sucker for movies about performance, but I really liked this one. There's a kind of rawness to the camera-work and the performances that makes the film impossible to turn away from. The story of the aging actress hounded by her fear of irrelevance is one that's been told a lot, but somewhere between Cassavetes' script and Rowland's acting it seems more visceral and real than ever before. This is a fun movie to think about, but it's not an intellectual exercise -- it kind of grabs you by the throat and rips your jugular out. Opening Night excoriates the reduction of Myrtle to her mere body while at the same time making itself and the viewer participants in it. It's a thoroughly uncomfortable but powerful move.
Honestly, watching this movie is like discovering a whole secret history. Perfect Blue, one of my favourite movies, now seems like a direct cross-Pacific descendant to Opening Night. And then there's that Hold Steady song that makes so much more sense now.
I think this review is a bit incoherent, but that's just the way this film makes me feel. If none of the above made sense, here's my opinion in a sentence: Not everyone is going to like Opening Night, but I think everyone should watch it nonetheless.
Honestly, watching this movie is like discovering a whole secret history. Perfect Blue, one of my favourite movies, now seems like a direct cross-Pacific descendant to Opening Night. And then there's that Hold Steady song that makes so much more sense now.
I think this review is a bit incoherent, but that's just the way this film makes me feel. If none of the above made sense, here's my opinion in a sentence: Not everyone is going to like Opening Night, but I think everyone should watch it nonetheless.