Sophia Takal's Always Shine is a psychological horror film that rejects the preconceived sensitivity and fragility associated with femininity, an exploration of the crushing effect such societal notions can have on the female psyche, delivering an extremely well-crafted and haunting experience. Always Shine is centered around best friends Anna and Beth, who are taking a weekend trip to Big Sur, hopeful to re-establish their close friendship that has been somewhat shattered over the past few years due to competition, resentment, and jealousy, related to the fact that they are both actors trying to live out their dreams under the sunny skies of Southern California. While Anne has had some success, often playing the damsel in distress, Beth has really struggled to find her footing in this unforgiving industry, an individual who simply doesn't have the right look and personality to play the same type of roles. Always Shine has a great sense of brooding unease from start to finish, a film with strong characterizations where the subtext and performances say more about these character's flawed relationship than any of the spoken dialogue. Beth is a character who has a brooding sense of resentment and vulnerability, an individual who is haunted by her failures as an actress. She has an aggressive personality, full of vitality and flamboyancy, epitomizing the non-lady like features due to her more in-your-face personality, one which leads her to struggle not only professionally but also socially, when it comes to finding a man who cares about her. As the two character's reconnect there is a sense of confrontational energy from Anna, a character who seems to be slowly unraveling, with the pressure of failure mounting inside of her, unable to stop comparing herself to her more successful friend. Beth on the otherhand is a character who fits more into the mold of not only Hollywood, but societies preconceived notions of femininity, a more fragile, innocent personality who intentionally or not is far more passive, a quality that attracts more attention not only from casting directors but also men. This contrast between these two characters leads to a confrontation which I won't detail in this review, but lets just say the film becomes a powerful study of fragility that is both deliciously perverse and stunningly tragic. One of my favorite sequences of the entire film is when the two friends find themselves at a bar in Big Sur. An older gentleman shows interest in the two young ladies, but it quickly becomes apparent that he finds Anna's personality, one that is aggressive and inquistiive in nature, too off-putting, showing much more interest in Beth's quiet, fragile persona. This is just another scene outside of the acting world that fuels Anna's resentment towards her friend, a sequence that features one of the most powerful compositions of the entire film, a devastating shot that fixates on Anna, with Beth and the Man being seen in the reflection of the window, evoking another painful moment for Anna that only exacerbates the resentment she already has for her friend. A psychological thriller which in part draws heavily from Bergman's persona, Sophia Takal's Always Shine is a supremely well-crafted thriller exploring the contradictions and confining characteristics of femininity, detailing the perverse and damaging effect they can have on the psyche of the individual.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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