By: debbie lynn elias
Out of the box, I must caution you that the humor of DAMSELS IN DISTRESS is not for everyone. Whit Stillman, the writer/director behind not only DAMSELS but such films as The Last Days of Disco and Barcelona, has a very very dark, flat and stilted view of funny which either one gets or one doesn’t. There’s no in-between. Personally, I find DAMSELS IN DISTRESS to be darkly and disturbingly hysterical.
A throw back to quieter, gentler and more mannered times, with architectural grandeur of the Greek Revivalist period, Seven Oaks College is the type of campus that dots the East Coast, appearing to be lifted right out of the Main Line area of Philadelphia or some of the smaller facilities in Maryland, the Carolinas and Georgia; hoity toity places with old money. With the “Roman” system of fraternities and sororities firmly in place, the school has something for everyone, starting with Violet, Rose and Heather. The self-appointed grand dames of Seven Oaks, it is their mission to remove the drunken hijinks of the “Romans”, rescue depressed and suicidal students by plying them with coffee, doughnuts and dancing through “Youth Outreach” at their self-created “Suicide Prevention Center”, show the world that a better smelling world through soap will eliminate depression and, of course, start an international dance craze that will enhance “the life of everyone and every couple.” (Oh heck! I know this is why I went to college!)
With a new semester underway, the girls focus on a new target for salvation – a poor wayward looking girl named Lily. Taking her under their wing, as the team shepherds Lily in the ways of Seven Oaks, the audience gets its own education. Little by little we learn more than we may ever want to know about the girls and their little projects. Who are they? Why do they behave the way they do? And of course at the root of all problems – and suicides – are boys. When Priss, a real suicide salvation project lands in their laps, things really start to heat up, particularly when she seems to have eyes for Violet’s boyfriend Frank.
What sets DAMSELS apart and makes it stand-out are the performances. Greta Gerwig has never been better. As Violet, she commands the screen and sets the tone for the humor. Thanks to smartly crafted dialogue (although often factually incorrect which just makes the film and her performance even more delicious), with deadpan sincerity and a look of pure innocense, one never knows whether she is truly an altruistic innocent or a wolf in sheep’s clothing – which is part of the fun. Gerwig is masterful.
Adam Brody adds a nice male compliment to the frame as Charlie Walker, a “businessman” the girls meet in the Oak Bar when he suspiciously sends drinks to Lily. Brody adds a great lightness of spirit that serves as a great balance to the film’s overall tone and that of Gerwig. His performance is a great complement to Gerwig’s. Carrie MacLemore’s Heather is just laugh-out-loud funny while Analeigh Tipton’s Lily is a terrific foil for Gerwig’s Violet. Tipton helps maintain a balance with reality and prevents the film from getting lost within itself.
Written and directed by Stillman, the ambient setting of the film is perfect for the humor and the story at hand. Curiously, the story itself has no real end. It’s as if it just “is”, floating in the universe. But it works. Even the dance numbers (yes, there are dance numbers) “work” and it’s because of Stillman’s sensibilities and vision. Another director could never insert these themes and scenes and have them be accepted.
As stated, dialogue is smartly crafted witty and tight. Little plot lines of soap, and the smell of soap, dance crazes, etc., harken back to the 50’s and a time when those were important things to the people attending schools like Seven Oaks. It all just made me appreciate the humor of DAMSELS even more.
Problematic, however, is that characters just “disappear”. After an entire build-up of Priss, and her stealing Frank, she just disappears. Similarly, Jermaine Crawford’s Jimbo who rushes to the Suicide Prevention Center seeking help for his friend Priss. So key to the story, he too, just disappears from the plot. (FYI, Crawford adds an interesting dynamic to the mix which I would have liked to see more of.) Likewise for Billy Magnussen’s studious frat boy, Thor. But I know – the film is DAMSELS IN DISTRESS, not men in distress (although the men clearly are distressed).
Director of Photography, Doug Emmett, keeps the visual palette is soft and appealing throughout the film, reminiscent of a gentler and more genteel time and era. Interesting is the enhanced vibrancy of color in the dance craze number at the very end which just screams for attention and pops. Production Designer Elizabeth Jones and Costume Designer Ciera Wells similarly follow suit, transporting us to a softer, gentler time, juxtapositioned against the sharp wit and darkness of the dialogue. Brilliantly played out.
These damsels are certainly not in distress when it comes to DAMSELS IN DISTRESS.
Violet – Greta Gerwig
Lily – Analeigh Tipton
Heather – Carrie MacLemore
Rose – Megalyn Echikunoke
Charlie – Adam Brody
Xavier – Hugo Becker
Thor – Billy Magnussen
Priss – Caitlin Fitzgerald
Jimbo – Jermaine Crawford
Written and Directed by Whit Stillman.
