Give Me Pity!

  • 80'
  • United States
  • 2022

Pity young performer Sissy St. Claire: she is allowed to shine in her very own TV special on Saturday night, but this doesn’t turn out as expected. Sissy gives her all in the show which – with its songs, sketches, and a question-and-answer section – closely follows the old-time, American variety evening TV formats, complete with commercial breaks. Expect disco balls, glitter outfits, and Stars and Stripes prints in this spectacle beamed straight from a whole other shimmery analogue video epoch.

In spite of the canned laughter, a feeling of desperation and unease encroaches on Give Me Pity!. A shadowy figure is lurking somewhere behind the scenes. Is it a stalker? Or, is it all in the actress’s imagination? And, why are there spots of blood on the letter received? The part of Sissy – who is struggling to navigate between the roles of mother, whore, wife, and victim – is played by Sophie Von Haselberg, who pulls out all the stops for this one-woman show.

Screens in combination with Sin Ultra

See also Big Talk: Amanda Kramer

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Available on Festival Scope Pro from 29 January 9:00 CET to 9 February 9:00 CET

  • 80'
  • United States
  • 2022
Director
Amanda Kramer
Premiere
World premiere
Country of production
United States
Year
2022
Festival Edition
P&I Selection 2022
Length
80'
Medium
DCP
Language
English
Producers
Sarah Winshall, Jacob Agger
Sales
alief
Screenplay
Amanda Kramer
Cinematography
Patrick Meade Jones
Editor
Benjamin Shearn
Production Design
Liz Toonkel
Sound Design
Josh Ascalon
Music
Josh Ascalon, Bryan Scary, Giulio Carmassi
Cast
Sophie von Haselberg, Reshma Gajjar, Cricket Arrison, Shelley Long, M. Diesel, Tess Hewlett, Malachi Middleton
Director
Amanda Kramer
Premiere
World premiere
Country of production
United States
Year
2022
Festival Edition
P&I Selection 2022
Length
80'
Medium
DCP
Language
English
Producers
Sarah Winshall, Jacob Agger
Sales
alief
Screenplay
Amanda Kramer
Cinematography
Patrick Meade Jones
Editor
Benjamin Shearn
Production Design
Liz Toonkel
Sound Design
Josh Ascalon
Music
Josh Ascalon, Bryan Scary, Giulio Carmassi
Cast
Sophie von Haselberg, Reshma Gajjar, Cricket Arrison, Shelley Long, M. Diesel, Tess Hewlett, Malachi Middleton

Programme IFFR 2022

Focus: Amanda Kramer

After years helming her own underground dance label, Amanda Kramerhas turned her vibrant vision to the seventh art with an aesthetic that is wild yet probing. Her films showcase bold performances, and grapple with the unknowability and instability of life and human psychology, pushing cinema to its limits.

Read more about this programme