Starlet (2012 film)

 

Directed and edited by Sean Baker and written by Baker and Chris Bergoch, Starlet is the story of a young woman who befriends an elderly woman following a yard sale from the latter. The film is an exploration of a unique friendship between two women of different age groups as a young woman struggles with her life just as the old lady is dealing with the remaining moments in her life. Starring Dree Hemingway, Besedka Johnson, Stella Maeve, James Ransone, and Karren Karagulian. Starlet is an evocative and touching film from Sean Baker.

Set in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, the film revolves a 20-something porn star who goes to a yard sale where she buys a thermos from this old lady only to find money in the thermos as she isn’t sure what to do with the money as she would later meet and befriend this old lady. It is a film with a simple premise as it plays into this young woman who finds money totally to $10,000 in this thermos that she originally intended to use as a vase only to try and meet this old lady she bought it from as she would befriend her. Even in doing errands and other things for this old lady to cope with the guilt of having this woman’s money. The film’s screenplay by Sean Baker and Chris Bergoch is largely straightforward where it follows the life of Jane (Dree Hemingway) who works as a porn actress under the stage name of Tess as she lives with a couple of porn actors in Melissa/Zana (Stella Maeve) and Mikey (James Ransone) as the latter is trying to get something going while not wanting to get into trouble with their boss Arash (Karren Karagulian).

Wanting to put some changes in her bedroom, Jane drives around the Valley to yard sales where she buys this thermos from this old woman in Sadie (Besedka Johnson) who is annoyed by her where Jane later finds the money upon putting water into the thermos. She tries to talk to Sadie about the thermos while later picking her up at a supermarket as she would get to know her as well as do things to her. Jane would also bring her pet chihuahua Starlet to the trips as Sadie would find comfort in Jane’s company although she does not know what Jane does to make a living. Even when Jane had to pick up Melissa who had gotten fired as she had put herself in trouble with Arash. Still, Melissa would not help matters having had her car repossessed as well as do things that would put her in even more trouble with Arash as it relates to non-compete clauses. Even as Melissa would play into her discovery of what Jane had found as she would be a threat to Jane’s relationship with Sadie.

Baker’s direction does have a flair for style as it is shot with hand-held cameras and on location in the San Fernando Valley in California with a small budget of $250,000. While there are some wide shots in the film that Baker uses, much of the direction emphasizes on medium shots and close-ups to play into the intimacy of the characters and whatever location they are in. Especially as it is set in the streets and suburbs in the San Fernando Valley as it is a world where Jane lives in as she is trying to maintain some stability in her life while waiting for her next porn gig. Still, she contends with Mikey’s money-schemes as well as Melissa’s own issues while they would often spend much of their time playing video games. Upon meeting Sadie, Jane would follow her, including playing bingo with her so she could get to know her as Baker maintains a sense of space between the two as well as doing other things such as taking Sadie to her husband’s gravesite.

Baker also plays into the world of porn that Jane works in as she hides it from Sadie where there is a scene where Jane as Tess does do a porn shoot that includes some explicit sex. Baker would have actress Zoe Voss as a body double to perform these explicit scenes as he would edit them in a way that is shocking but also knowing what not to use. Baker’s editing is a strong component to the film with its usage of jump-cuts in playing to the emotional aspects of the film. Notably in the third act following an incident in which Sadie nearly loses Starlet while cleaning her garden though Jane is not mad at her but also unaware of what happened. It also plays into the growing rift between Jane and Melissa as the latter has become unruly as well as a liability for Jane as she would be disruptive at a porn expo where their boss tells Jane to get away from her. Still, Melissa does play a key role in trying to ruin Jane’s relationship with Sadie as its ending is about this role that Jane has been playing for this old woman who has been alone for a long time. Overall, Baker crafts a touching and ravishing film about a young woman forming a friendship with an old lady whose thermos she bought at a yard sale filled with money.

Cinematographer Radium Cheung does brilliant work with the film’s cinematography with its sunny look as well as some interiors with some stylish lights including a scene with neon for a key scene in the film. Production designer Mari Yui and art director Tatsuya Yamauchi do amazing work with the look of the apartment Jane shares with Mikey and Melissa as well as Sadie’s home. Costume designer Shih-Ching Tsou does nice work with the costumes from the stylish and youthful clothing that Jane and Melissa wear including some of the skimpy clothing they were at the porn expo along the more reserved look of Sadie.

Sound designers Justin M. Davey and Zach Seivers do excellent work with the sound as it plays into the atmosphere of the locations as well as how music is sound from a location as it is a highlight of the film. The film’s music by Jonas Munk Jensen, in his Manual pseudonym, is incredible for its ambient-based score filled with low-key beats and soothing synthesizers that play into the drama while music supervisor Stephanie Diaz-Matos creates a soundtrack that features some hip-hop and electronic music from G-Lloyd, Erick Sermon, Feddi Twinz, Kenny P, Pink Dollaz, Longevity, Houston, and Jason Kilgore plus the awful rock music that is Buckcherry.

The casting by Julia Kim is wonderful as it features some notable small roles and appearances from real-life porn actors in Kristina Rose, Asa Akira, Manuel Ferrara, and Lily Labeau plus Michael Adrienne O’Hagan as Arash’s assistant Janice who is the mediator for Arash and his clients as she does not take Melissa’s bullshit and Boonee as Jane’s pet chihuahua Starlet. Karren Karagulian is terrific as the porn producer Arash who sees a great future in Jane as he sees her as a responsible person but finds trouble in Melissa while also learning about something that she is doing that goes against a non-compete clause. James Ransone is superb as Mikey as a porn actor/filmmaker who is trying to create a money scheme that he hopes would help them both financially as the reveal proves to be disappointing.

Stella Maeve is excellent as Melissa as a young porn actress who is often filled with money troubles and bad luck where she decides to do something that would get her into trouble with Arash while becoming jealous of Jane’s friendship with Sadie as well as discovering what Jane found in the thermos. Besedka Johnson is amazing in her only film role as Sadie as an old woman who sold Jane a thermos unaware that there’s money in there as she deals with Jane’s presence but also her own issues in life where she finds comfort in Jane’s company. Finally, there’s Dree Hemingway in a brilliant performance as Jane/Tess as a young porn actress who buys a thermos as she discovers its content where she is guilty about spending it yet spends time with Sadie to not feel guilty as well as get some life lessons as it is a riveting and naturalistic performance from Hemingway.

Starlet is a phenomenal film from Sean Baker that features incredible leading performances from Dree Hemingway and Besedka Johnson. Along with its supporting cast, naturalistic visuals, its story of companionship and guilt, and a soothing music score by Jonas Munk Jensen. The film is an unconventional yet effective drama that explores an unlikely friendship between two women from different generations as they both get something from one another. In the end, Starlet is a sensational film from Sean Baker.

Sean Baker Films: (Four Letter Words) – (Take Out (2004 film)) – (Prince of Broadway) – Tangerine (2015 film) - The Florida Project - (Red Rocket) – (Anora)

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