Buttercup Bill review: An absorbing debut from two exciting new female filmmakers.
Buttercup Bill review
First and foremost, to notice two young, hungry female filmmakers strive for their passion of cinema is a very charming notion. To add on, not only are they young but attractive, intelligent and educated, as Remy Bennett has used her drama school experience to create an intense character where she demonstrates love to be a fatal flaw. The granddaughter of singer Tony Bennett has co-written and co-directed an independent work of art that is visually breath-taking due to great influences of David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Terence Malick’s Badlands. Bennett’s film partner Emilie Richard-Froozan has managed to tell a story from her personal experiences of a relationship that extinguished, but without experience there would be no success like these two filmmakers will embark upon after screening their debut.
Produced by actress Sadie Frost and Emma Comley, Buttercup Bill tells the story of a twisted romance between lifelong friends Patrick (Evan Louison) and Pernilla (Remy Bennett) – Reciprocally obsessed, but clinging on to dark secrets. Travelling from the seedy, neon-lit New York bar scene to a nameless New Orleans town in the sweaty and whisky-soaked Deep South, Pernilla seeks comfort from Patrick after the suicide of their childhood playmate. At first innocent and playful, their chemistry soon gives way to subversive games of sexual jealousy, making unwitting pawns of those around them. As the lines between cruelty, and fantasy and reality become blurred, the question looms large: can they ever be together? Should they? As the audience watch their relationship unravel and many truths are laid on the table, the audience will have a good perception of what the outcome should be.
Buttercup Bill review
It is imposing to observe the Lynchian traits of direction, as the Bonnie and Clyde like couple hang out in neon lit bars that are so blue, whilst a sleazy female jazz singer croons her heart out, whilst Patrick and Pernilla, smoke, snog and swig on hard liquor, almost like Nicolas Cage and Laura Dern do in Wild at Heart. Remy Bennett is not afraid to direct herself with graphic love scenes of nudity with her male lead and possibly enumerates that pre-bonding took place with the two actors before filming in order to display the sexual chemistry and connection.
Moreover the direction is so entrancing by Emilie Richard-Froozan as she captures the true American Deep South atmosphere visually, that it adds to the organic charm of the location. The two lovers use the people around them to spice their dysfunctional relationship as a stripper lap dances, where Pernilla engages sexually with the stripper as Patrick watches. Then more interest grabs the attention of the viewer where Patrick has a sexual encounter with a younger girl, only resulting in the girl to freak out and leave abruptly as Pernilla masturbates whilst she watches her lover thrusting.
Buttercup Bill review
Overall the story is absorbing to watch as we observe Patrick and Pernilla seek escape from a reality they believe has no place for them. They are soul mates that come across as very sexual and no matter how psychotic their relationship is, it makes the reader ponder the question. How far would you go in your relationship if there was a mixture of madness as well as obsessive love? An excellent indie feature debut from two female filmmakers to watch out for.
Buttercup Bill review by Aly Lalji, September 2015.
Buttercup Bill is released in limited UK cinemas on Friday 4th September, 2015.
