39/16
Joanna Arnow’s real parents appear in the film, playing Ann’s parents
Line of Events
A mosaic-style comedy that follows a woman’s life as she passes the time in her long-term BDSM casual relationship, her low-level corporate job, and her fractious Jewish family.
What a surprise!
The second film from the talented Joanna Arnow (she edited, wrote, directed, and starred in the film) is a symphony of ambient shame, with movements centered on the various men with whom Ann, the protagonist, has relationships of varying length and ambivalent duration.
Highly original, clever, truthful, and humorous
She manages to hit a range of painful notes in these movements, from the ritualized abjection of sensual humiliation to the cutting edge of corporate humiliations.
I loved how the overtly sexual material contrasted with the visual aesthetic; it gave me the impression of the female gaze in action
After over 50 years of watching movies and writing reviews, it’s time to say: I’ve never seen a movie like this and I really enjoyed it.