Perfect Pairings (Part One)
like wine and cheese... or Nic Cage and any woman with even slightly curly hair
1. DRIFTER GIRLS
It wouldn’t be Kid Girl (or my work in general) if there weren’t at least one reference to Barbara Loden’s Wanda. It was becoming such a point of obsession for me that I swore I would have to wait at least six months before mentioning the Kazan-Lodens again. But alas, I read Emma Cline’s The Guest and it was all I could think of.
For months, Alex has been the guest of an older man Simon in his Long Island mansion. But after one too many social faux-pas, Alex is sent away with a train ticket. Alex, though, is unconvinced Simon really wants her gone, so she decides to buy time with rotating characters (some more dangerous than others) in Long Island until she can convince him to take her back.
Both protagonists’ situations are precarious to the extreme, relying exclusively upon the kindness of passing men. In the case of Cline’s Alex, she so often bungles a good (albeit unsustainable) deal, that the narrative has the potential to be repetitive. But it never is. The novel is gripping, richly drawn, and narratively propulsive.
Begin With…
Wanda (1971)
Follow Up With…
The Guest (2023)
2. AMERICANA BABY!
I saw American Honey back in high school and while I remembered next to nothing about the plot, its portrait of class and poverty in the American Southwest stuck.
In spirit, some of American Honey’s predecessors include Larry Clark’s Kids (and Tulsa) or perhaps Sean Baker’s Prince of Broadway, but to me, there is only one right answer, one perfect pairing for this film:
That’s right! You guessed it! Terrance Malick’s debut film Badlands. Sissy Spacek is a gem, and Charlie Sheen and Emilio Estevez both make their first onscreen appearances (I am not joking). Badlands is a portrait of American apathy and childlike wonder in the face of one’s monstrous actions.
Begin With…
American Honey (2016)
Follow Up With…
Badlands (1973)
3. HUMANITY AND ALL ITS HORROR
Killing things is bad for the soul! A revolutionary concept—but both Kenneth Lonergan (who I found out while researching this piece is married to Gerri from Succession! Who knew?!) and Lispector manage to delve into the ways killing disrupts our relationship with humanity and faith.
Begin With…
The Passion According to G.H (1964)
Follow Up With…
Margaret (2011, watch the Director’s cut)
4. TEENAGERS HATE REAGANISM!
Another Lonergan pick (the theatre kids are screaming now) pairs perfectly with the disillusioned, surprisingly emotional Lisa Frankenstein. Lonergan’s 1996 play This is Our Youth (revived in the 2010s with Michael Cera, Kieran Culkin, and Tavi Gevinson) is a blistering depiction of American youth chafing against the materialism and capitalistic ambitions of the Reagan era.
Written by Diablo Cody, Lisa Frankenstein is (to me) the best widely-released movie of the year thus far. Weird, sentimental, and stylistically ambitious, Lisa Frankenstein could be read as a love letter to teenage rage, but I saw more how outsiders learn to thrive in a world determined to keep the freaks down. Down with capitalism! Get wrecked and die in the arms of your love!
Begin With…
This is Our Youth (1999)
Lisa Frankenstein (2024)
5. GIRLHOOD: IT’S COMPLICATED
Two grossly underrated movies, Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret and Girlhood are complex coming-of-age portraits, intimately depicting the intricacies of young female friendship and family.
Girlhood follows Marieme, a 16-year-old Black Parisian, and her group of girlfriends living on the outskirts of the city. The film explores the often underrepresented intersection of class and race in Parisian culture. The film is full of raw longing and (eventually) hope.
Are You There, God, It’s Me, Margaret is an instant classic; it uncovers every embarrassing and baffling specific about early puberty and examines each piece with humanity and empathy. Running through the film is also themes of religion and identity as Margaret delves into her Jewish heritage.
Begin With…
Girlhood (Bande de filles) (2014)
Follow Up With…
Are You There God, It’s Me, Margaret (2023)
6. CORPORATE AMERICA MAKES MONSTERS OUT OF MEN AND I MUST QUIT MY JOB TO REGAIN THE LOVE OF MY LIFE
As a disclaimer, I must warn you: these are the same movie.
Begin With…
Dinner For Shmucks (2010)
Follow Up With…
The Apartment (1960)
7. CHRISTIAN FAITH (CUNTY EDITION)
When Lucas Hnath’s play The Christians premiered in 2015, it turned usual depictions of the inner workings of religious institutions on their head. A young, charismatic pastor makes waves in his congregation when he says he does not believe hell exists. Suffice it to say, the congregation is not happy.
Similarly, Hayden Silas Anhedönia’s project Ethel Cain seeks to unearth the hypocrisy of Christian dogma while conveying a longing to believe. We want to have faith, to believe in heaven, but at what cost?
Begin With…
The Christians (2015)
Follow Up With…
Preacher’s Daughter (2022)
8. HELP! I’M A WOMAN WITH LUSCIOUS CURLY HAIR AND MY BOYFRIEND IS INSANE AND CLINGY BUT HOT!
This is my favorite genre of movie.
Begin With…
Room With a View (1985)
Follow Up With…
Moonstruck (1987)
