Julianne Moore as the washed-up Havana Segrand is a sight to behold
A Potpourri of Vestiges Review
By Murtaza Ali
Featured in IMDb Critic Reviews
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| Maps to the Stars (2014) - By David Cronenberg |
Our Rating: 9.0
IMDb Ratings: 6.6
Genre: Drama
IMDb Ratings: 6.6
Genre: Drama
Cast: Julianne Moore, Mia Wasikowska, Robert Pattinson
Country: Canada | USA | Germany | France
Language: English
Runtime: 111 min
Color: Color
Summary: A tour into the heart of a Hollywood family chasing celebrity, one another and the relentless ghosts of their pasts.
Maps
to the Stars is a 2014 drama film from the master Canadian filmmaker David
Cronenberg. Written for the screen by Bruce Wagner, Maps to the Stars is
essentially a scathing satire on Hollywood—an ideal microcosm of the entertainment
industry as a whole in the Western world—that showcases the dark side of the Tinsel
town which often gets occluded by the shimmering facade of glitz and glamour. In Cronenberg’s
own words, "Hollywood is a world that is seductive and repellent at the same time,
and it is the combination of the two that makes it so potent." The
movie stars Julianne Moore, John Cusack, Robert Pattinson , Mia Wasikowska, Olivia
Williams, Sarah Gadon and Evan Bird in pivotal roles. Maps to the Stars premiered
in competition for the coveted Palme d'Or at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, where
Moore won the Best Actress Award.
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| Julianne Moore as Havana Segrand in Maps to the Stars |
Maps
to the Stars revolves around an aging actress in the twilight of her acting career.
Havana Segrand is both rich and famous but is haunted by the memories of her
actress mother, Clarice Taggart (played by Sarah Gadon), who died in a fire accident. Havana’s only
hope to revive her fast fading career is to star in the remake of the 1960s motion
picture that had made her mother a cult symbol. Having lived all her life in her mother’s
shadow, Havana seems caught in some kind of a Freudian complex wherein she imagines
herself to be a victim of her mother's sexual abuse as the visions of her
mother’s ghost continue to torment her psychologically. Havana takes psychiatric
help of Dr. Stafford Weiss who is a new age therapist and self-help guru
with a large clientele of high-profile celebrities. Stafford's ambitious wife Cristina (played by Olivia Williams) manages the career of their thirteen-year-old celebrity son Benjie—the child
star of the teenage comedy blockbuster titled "Bad Babysitter". In other words, the
Weiss family is an archetypal Hollywood dynasty. But, the family has a few dark secrets which it must guard to keep its impeccable reputation intact.
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| John Cusack as Dr. Weiss and Evan Bird as Benjie |
In
Maps to the Stars, Cronenberg, in his characteristic fashion, creates a dark,
sinister, almost nightmarish world oozing with the malice, cruelty and hypocrisy of
the highly ambitious but insecure and jealous beings that inhabit it. In
painting such a sombre canvas, Cronenberg perhaps seems to be testing his own limits. While
discussing the possibility of it being his most cruel
film yet, Cronenberg explains, "It is possible! I have made terrifying
movies but here the cruelty is on a psychological level, more realistic. I have
the feeling that in this world (which is not far as much as we would like),
cruelty is a natural aptitude. Ambition, cruelty and hypocrisy are truly
innate. People have a really sweet language, even caring, but as soon as an
ambition is challenged we resolve problems with lot of cruelty and brutality." Maps to the Stars also marks Cronenberg’s much-anticipated (as far as his
hardcore fans are concerned) return to the horror genre after a hiatus of almost
three decades. While Maps to the Stars cannot really be classified as pure
horror, there are a few sequences in the movie that may put some of the goriest
scenes in cinema to shame.
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| Mia Wasikowska as Agatha in Maps to the Stars |
David
Cronenberg is the pioneer of body horror or venereal horror—a sub-genre of horror
fiction in which the horror is propagated through the graphic degeneration of
the human body. Cronenberg, who is touted as one of the most daring and demanding
auteurs in the English-speaking world, is often said to be competing with the likes of
David Lynch, Atom Egoyan, Jim Jarmusch and Quentin Tarantino for the numero-uno
spot. Cronenberg is a master when it comes to blending the psychological with
the physical. While he mainly relied on horror and sci-fi elements to explore
these recurring motifs in his earlier films, his later works serve as profound treatises
on human psychology and how it influences physical health and well being. One of Cronenberg’s greatest talents is his
ability to spot the right actors for his roles and elicit singular performances
from each one of them. Some of the best examples that come to mind are Vigo
Mortensen in Eastern Promises (2007), Jennifer Jason Leigh in eXistenZ (1999) Jeremy Irons in Dead Ringers (1988), Jeff
Goldblum in The Fly (1986), and James Woods in Videodrome (1983).
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| Robert Pattinson as Jerome in Maps to the Stars |
In Maps to the Stars, Cronenberg manages to extract a nigh perfect performance from Julianne
Moore. Moore is undoubtedly one of the most talented actresses of our
generation but unfortunately the last half-a-decade hasn’t been very productive
for her. But, vintage Cronerberg, Moore is back with a bang! As the washed-up Havana
Segrand, she is a sight to behold. Moore’s mesmerizing turn in Maps to the
Stars harks back to her remarkable performances in films like Short Cuts (1993), Boogie Nights (1997) and The Hours (2002). There are so many different sides to Havana's personality that sometimes she appears to be suffering from Dissociative identity disorder. To her credit, Moore
succeeds in seamlessly bringing these conflicting aspects of Havana’s persona
to life. Perhaps, the best way to describe Havana is as a mellow version of Norma
Desmond. While Havana has Norma’s ego, she certainly lacks her chutzpah.
If need be, Havana can emote as well as Norma, but she may not be able to match
her at theatrics. But, unlike Desmond, she tends to expose here vulnerable side far more often which probably makes her appear more human and hence less unlikeable than Norma.
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| A Still from Maps to the Stars |
While the real star of the show is Julianne Moore, the acting all around is quite solid. Speaking of other actors, Robert Pattinson plays his part with minimal effort but great conviction. Pattinson certainly has come a long way since his Twilight Saga days. Cosmopolis (2012) was the break that he needed and since then he has never looked back (he has been working quite hard to change his image and already has a decent résumé to show for his efforts... while he impressed everybody with a brilliant performance in David Michôd's The Rover, he's just finished shooting for Werner Herzog's Queen of the Desert wherein he will be seen essaying the role of T.E. Lawrence). Also, it’s heartening to see John Cusack try his hands at something as different as this; he makes the part of Dr. Weiss his own. Mia Wasikowska once again plays the part of a psychotic teenager to perfection; but, it’s somewhat worrying to see a young female talent get typecast in such a way. While Olivia Williams and Sarah Gadon fit their respective roles to a tee, the young Evan Bird shines as Benjie Weiss—a part that seems greatly inspired by one Justin Bieber.
It
would be a travesty to consider Maps to the Stars as Cronenberg’s brainchild. Bruce
Wagner deserves as much credit as Cronenberg, if not more, for making this film
a reality. Wagner had written the screenplay almost a decade back and though Cronenberg
was quite keen on filming it they couldn’t get the required funding. The duo
had to wait for a long time before they could arrange the necessary funds. So, Maps
to the Stars wouldn’t have been possible without a long collaboration between Cronenberg
and Wagner—both of whom are its true auteurs. Cronenberg sums up Maps to the
Stars beautifully, "It’s kind of a satire on Hollywood. It’s very typical of Bruce Wagner’s
writing. And it’s sort of a condensed essence of Bruce. And while it’s
satirical, it’s also very powerful, emotionally, and insightful and funny. You
could say it’s a Hollywood film because the characters are agents, actors and
managers, but it is not a satire like The Player."
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| Havana and Jerome share an intimate moment |
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| Maps to the Stars: Dr. Stafford Weiss' new age therapy |
Maps
to the Stars reminds this critic of several self-castigating films from
Hollywood, right from Sunset Blvd. (1950) to Mulholland Dr. (2001), The Last Tycoon (1976) to Barton Fink (1991), The Player (1992) to What Just Happened (2008). While there’s nothing new
about the subject matter, it is the treatment of subject that makes Maps to the
Stars stand out. We do witness the old motifs but the perspective is quite
fresh. The Hollywood that’s on display here is quite different. It’s a place
where child prodigies are a common occurrence. For these talented little
parvenus anyone aged 23 or above is menopausal. Maps to the Stars mocks the hollowness
that’s slowly engulfing our world. Showbiz is most susceptible to this vacuum
of human emotions propagated by the all-pervasive insecurity, hypocrisy, and
mediocrity that plague the life of modern man. Incest and murder are two of the
major themes that run through Maps to the Stars. But, in a nihilistic setting, they appear
rather innocuous and as natural as breathing. Robert Pattinson’s chauffeur character
(he
simply dreams of becoming a writer-cum-actor and is even willing to convert to
a more suitable religion like Scientology in order to realize his ambition)
best depicts the nothingness (as well as a sense of desperation) that’s reverberates
through the Tinsel town.
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| A Still from Maps to the Stars |
Overall,
Maps to the Stars is a riveting work of cinematic that serves as a testament to the genius of an artist working at the height of his creative powers. Hollywood is mostly perceived
as some kind of a utopia for honest artists but the reality is much grimmer. As
hyper as Cronenberg’s film may appear in its depiction of the Tinsel town, it’s
not very far away from reality. Every year dozens of celebrities die as a
result of drug abuse. So, it’s actually more alarming than what most of us
feel. In Maps to the Stars, there’s not a single character that’s likeable. We
may pity them but it’s quite difficult to like them. The movie has very many
chilling sequences; probably the most graphic of them all is the one in which an
actress’ psychotic aide kills her by repeatedly bashing her head with a Genie
Awards statuette (which the celebrity had won). For this scene, Cronenberg has used his own statuette which he had won for Spider (2002). Cronenberg, on being asked if he felt guilty for transforming his Genie Awards statuette in a weapon, cheekily remarked: "No! In fact, I think the Canadian sculptor Sorel Etrog who created it would have been delighted." Maps to the Star, like all Cronenberg films, is not an easy film
to watch, especially for the uninitiated. The movie requires not only patience
but also composure and is strictly recommended for serious viewers only.
Readers, please feel free to share your opinion by leaving your comments. As always your valuable thoughts are highly appreciated!
Maps to the Stars (2014) Trailer (YouTube)
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