An exploration of the political and psychological contradictions of Valerie Solanas, the woman who in 1968 shot Andy Warhol. Solanas defined herself as a lesbian, though her orientation was motivated less by sexual desire than by living as a woman in a male-dominated society. The traditional biopic is interrupted with black-and-white sequences of Solanas looking straight into the camera and reciting passages from the Society for Cutting Up Men (SCUM) manifesto, which became a feminist classic.
Though Harron credits Taxi Driver, her movie is as much a variant of Scorsese’s King of Comedy. Solanas is an ambitious but disregarded nobody. She exploits men’s base animal desires and takes their money but still depends upon their power. The re-creations of the atmosphere of the Factory with its Warhol crowd are vivid. The direct motivation as to why Solanas shot Warhol remains unexplained. Harron: “It wasn’t until the editing that I acknowledged I just don’t know, and that I should leave it a mystery.”
Film details
- Country of production
- USA
- Year
- 1996
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2020
- Length
- 106"
- Medium/Format
- 35mm
You may also like this
-
Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
A young widow who lives with her teenage son fills her empty life with an endless checklist of chores. Until something snaps.
-
Lydia Lunch Live
Controversial singer, actress, writer and poet Lydia Lunch never fails to stir up emotions with her spoken word set.
-
Bread
Bread hones in on the symbolic role of food, specifically in the way that it highlights gendered imbalances of power in the entertainment industry.