Female Trouble- Definitely Troubling

     Female Trouble is a film I will never watch again. I could barely get through it the first time. It was offensive, obnoxious and unnecessary. While there may have been underlying messages such as the negative effect the beauty industry and beauty standards on society, it could have been done in a much classier way. There was language used that would not fly today such as the “r” and “f” slur. There were also multiple scenes that made me outright uncomfortable such as the sexualization of Taffy when she was supposed to be 14. The client also talks to her hair dresser about her 6 year old daughter and him being sexually attracted to her. The incest scene between Taffy and her father was another moment I didn’t need to see. And again, this may have been intentional, in order to bring the audience’s attention to these sensitive topics. I also understand drag is very campy and performative, but by the end of the movie I was highly annoyed from everyone constantly yelling and being over the top. I didn’t find the story or the cinematography good either, so this movie had no positive aspects in my opinion. Also, I could have lived without seeing so many penises. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 1, 2020 at 4:17 PM

    Hey Quinn,

    I totally understand not wanting to see this film again, I probably won't watch it ever again either. But there is always something to learn about film even from movies we don't like. Watching the John Waters interview really changed some of my opinions on this movie because John Waters spoke so intelligently about the films he's made and how even though it was just him and his friends making a movie, they knew what they were doing and what they wanted to say. I would say it hasn't aged well more then anything as the message of obsession with fame and celebrity is still a good focus and theme for movies even today.

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