(left and below left) kristen stewart and chloë sevigny in lizzie. photo courtesy of saban films and roadside attractions (below) chloë sevigny, director craig macneill and screenwriter bryce kass
That state of mind is very much at play in the film.
There is a delicate dance in which the tenderness of the women’s relationship, is juxtaposed with the horrific aspects of the story. “It wasn’t particularly difficult to balance, because Lizzie and Bridget’s emotional journeys are at the core of the film,” Macneill explained. “We spend a considerable amount of screen time grounding their relationship, getting to know them. I think the horror elements may come across as shocking to some viewers, because they are firmly rooted in reality. It becomes all the more terrifying as a result.” Macneill was also up for the challenge of the film’s
love scenes between Sevigny and Stewart and not allowing them to be sensationalized. “I thought it was important to keep Lizzie and Bridget clothed for the love scene to separate it from the cathartic murder sequences, where the two women are naked,” he clarified. “We also shot the sequence with a handheld, which gave the scene an energy and a rawness that helped ground the moment.” Both men are hopeful that the audience will have
by her real name. Most of the Irish servants whether male or female, were called ‘Maggie’ or ‘Paddy,’ their names were erased once they entered the house- hold. She went out of her way to call her Bridget; she would run errands on behalf of Bridget and she’d buy her dresses. It was for the time a very modern relationship, a little outside of the boundaries of class structure.” “It isn’t just about this love story under very difficult circumstances, between two women, it’s also a story that defies the boundaries of class, sexual identity and sort of stands outside of time in a way,” Kass continued. “It felt very classical and universal in the sense of yearning and oppression and suppression. When you feel trapped and alone, your emotional reality takes on a real operatic quality. These two women only had each other, it was all they had.”
IT ISN’T JUST ABOUT
THIS LOVE STORY UNDER VERY DIFFICULT CIR-
CUMSTANCES BETWEEN TWO WOMEN, IT’S ALSO A STORY THAT DEFIES THE BOUNDARIES OF CLASS, SEXUAL IDENTITY AND SORT OF STANDS OUTSIDE OF TIME IN A WAY,”
two different takeaways from the film. “Perhaps a motivation to follow the golden rule?” Macneill quipped. “Otherwise, you know, you could fall victim to the hatchet!” Kass followed encapsulating the concept, “I think it’s a strangely relevant story for this time. We’re still living in a time where women and minorities really have to reassess the freedoms we’ve earned and where our place is in the world. I think ultimately that Lizzie is really a story that asks about how we feel about how she fought back,” he described. “We have to ask ourselves hard questions about gender, power and authority and the way we treat each other. Within that, for me, the film is such a great transcendent love story, between these two women who meet each other under very difficult circumstances and are liberated by each other.” Lizzieopens on Friday, September 14, check your local listing for showtimes. For more information, go to
lizziethemovie.com
SEPTEMBER 2018 | RAGE monthly 29
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