Indie
[Review] If Only ‘Personal Shopper’ Was as Divisive as You’ve Heard
Kristen Stewart is on uncharacteristically weak form in Olivier Assayas’ psychological drama, Personal Shopper. She plays Maureen, a personal shopper for an A-list celebrity in Paris, who’s spending time in France in order to connect with her recently deceased twin brother, Lewis.
Audiences were divided when the film debuted at the Cannes Film Festival earlier this year, but I struggle to imagine the film eliciting anything close to the kind of extreme opinions that reputation suggests. The film’s subject matter seems intriguing, but, in execution, this is a largely dull affair that descends into a laughable final act.
As Maureen balances her two jobs (shopper vs. medium), so the film balances evenings of haunted house investigation with daytimes of traipsing around European cities scanning racks of fiendishly expensive clothes and coping with her stubborn boss.
Neither aspect is all that thrilling, as the day job proves to be virtually arc-less – purposefully, I can only imagine – and the darkness is never all that compelling. Big second half developments fall strangely flat, and there are a couple of unintentionally comical moments right at the end, as Maureen finally starts to make some headway in the search for her brother.
Stewart, who has so often been accused of emotionlessness in the past (unfairly, I’d say), does struggle here. She never sells either her unfailing desire to communicate with her brother or her supposed hatred of her job. As a result, it becomes hard to invest in her plight and the film becomes rather aimless, although I think Assayas’ script doesn’t do her any favours.
Ultimately, I wish I’d seem some of that Cannes divisiveness up on screen. Instead, Personal Shopper is frequently dull and occasionally laughable, and it doesn’t even have an engaging Kristen Stewart there to hold it all together.
The film screened at the ongoing London Film Festival.
Her House of Horrors, the horror division of Independent Production House WOMXNOGRAPHY, has launched its Bite Size Short Grant Program, ahead of its film festival Dollhouse of Horror, which will take place in March 2025 in Los Angeles, CA.
The Bite Size Short Grant Program awards $2,000 film grants to female-identifying and queer horror filmmakers. Shorts must be able to be made for $2,000, with a minimum runtime of 8 minutes. Submissions are now open on Filmfreeway, and are being judged by a panel of horror lovers and content creators.
The 2024 Bite Size Short Grant Program judge lineup is as follows:
“James H. Carter II- A documentary director, film producer, podcaster, marketing specialist, and writer. James is the founder and co-owner of Creepy Kingdom. Creepy Kingdom was founded in 2011 and is a multimedia website, and production studio specializing in creepy content. Their primary focus lies at the intersection of childlike fantasy and the macabre, covering horror films, theme parks, haunts, and much more. Beyond their extensive media coverage, Creepy Kingdom hosts events, offers original merchandise, and engages in film production under the Creepy Kingdom Studios brand producing original films like “Foolish Mortals”, exploring Disney’s “Haunted Mansion” fan culture, and “Georgie”, featuring Tony Dakota from the original “It” miniseries.
“In addition to founding Creepy Kingdom, James has won awards for his documentary work, including the award-winning “Foolish Mortals,” which has earned him recognition. He has been featured on Freeform’s 31 Nights of Halloween special.
“Ashleeta Beauchamp is the editor-in-chief of Peek-A-Boo! Magazine, a cheeky horror magazine created to uplift marginalized writers, artists, models and other creators within the horror community. She also runs The Halloween Coalition, a community group to provide support and marketing for horror and Halloween events around the Southern California area.
“Titeanya Rodríguez is a multi-hyphenate creative, and the founder and owner of HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, home of DOLLHOUSE OF HORROR and the horror division of WOMXNOGRAPHY. As a fellow storyteller and a self-proclaimed artivist, Titeanya’s mission is to create opportunities for women of color and queer women, across film, tv, sports, music, and beyond. She is also the creator of the BITE SIZE SHORT grant program.”
Winners will have a one-night theatrical screening at Regal Cinemas. Submissions Close April 8 at Midnight. Winners will be announced on May 27, 2024. Shorts must be shot and through post-production by June 30, 2024. The screening will take place on July 8, 2024, in Los Angeles, CA.
WOMXNOGRAPHY, HER HOUSE OF HORRORS, and Rodriguez are represented by Azhar PR, Granderson Des Rochers, and Kinsella Holley Iser Kump Steinsapir.
To submit your short to the Bite Size Short Grant Program, go to the FilmFreeway link here.
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