"Adrienne"

Review of the film "Adrienne" - a touching story of an actress and director whose legacy was not appreciated

A documentary about the life and tragic death of Adrienne Shelley.

Adrienne Shelley is rightly considered an indie movie icon. During such a short career, she managed to collaborate with Hal Hartley, a significant figure in American independent cinema of the 1980s and 1990s. But in addition to her acting career, Adrienne also looked for herself in the directing profession. She shot several short and full-length works, among which the tragicomedy "The Waitress" stands out. Unfortunately, Shelley didn't live to see the premiere of her film. She was found hanged on a sheet in her own office, and then it was proved that there was a murder. The documentary, directed by Adrienne's husband, is a reverent account of the life, career and death of a woman who was undoubtedly ahead of her time.

Andy Ostroy, Adrienne's husband, stops next to a huge queue for a Broadway show. People gathered to watch the musical The Waitress, which in turn is based on the 2007 film. Andy cautiously asks people: Do they know who Adrienne Shelley is? After a little thought, none of them answered in the affirmative. Perhaps this is one of the biggest injustices in cinema - the young actress and aspiring director has sunk into oblivion, despite the fact that her legacy continues to live on. Ask the same question to people in conditional Moscow or St. Petersburg, it is unlikely that there will be a large group that knows the story of Shelley. Hal Hartley has managed to perpetuate her soft, soulful gaze in such films as Trust and The Incredible Truth, but Adrienne's appearance disintegrates into several failed films of the 90s, and her attempts to realize herself as a director remained somewhere on the outskirts of a tough show. business.

Most documentaries based on the history of early departed stars focus on the fateful day of death. Andy Ostroy, being the director and producer of the picture, of course, does not bypass the day of the murder of his wife and tries to reconstruct the painful moments when he last saw his beloved woman, when he found her body, when he tried to find the culprit. But the most important thing in the project is not some detective component and attempts to find out the killer's motives (although, of course, not without it), but the comprehension of the creativity of a young woman who wanted to say so much to the world.

So what is so special about her directorial voice? What did she want? And who is this Adrienne Shelley? Even before the #MeToo movement, the actress spoke out in interviews about how much she was being sexualized and not given a role, because some producer might not like the shape of her breasts. To some extent, Hal Hartley became her inspiration. Realizing that his work is different from the mainstream and how strongly his handwriting is felt in them, Shelley decided to sit in the director's chair herself. She knew exactly what she wanted and what she wanted to show on the screen. Whether it's a depressed woman who doesn't understand this life, or a young mother planning an escape from her tyrant husband, these voiceless people have come to the fore in Shelley's films. The feminist motive and the harmonious combination of dramatic elements with comedy make the director's work so important and, alas, underestimated by her contemporaries.

Of course, we can say that today there have been many changes - at least women are increasingly being noticed at prestigious festivals. Sexism and bias have not gone away, but I want to believe that Adrienne Shelley's small legacy has helped other filmmakers to believe in themselves. Her husband, which had just begun, was continued by her husband, who created a support fund for women directing. The story of the actress, who fought to the end for the right to be a director, is interrupted too early, but it also turns into an inspiring message for another generation of young girls and women who still have everything to come.

This article was sponsored by Seyed Ali Yousefi