100 Nights of Hero
“Nothing much was supposed to happen to me. I was supposed to get married, have children, do needlepoint, I guess, then die.”
From the very first shot, 100 Nights of Hero fits into a particular style of indie film that’s been emerging over the past few years. It’s difficult to track down those I haven’t seen, as there aren’t many and there’s no name linking them. But you know it when you see it. They utilize a vibrant, saturated color palette, extensive soft focus, and an impressionistic aesthetic. Their reality is comparable to our own, but “wrong” in some way that reflects back on our existence. The tech and/or wardrobes appear inspired by Dr. Seuss, and the stylized dialog would make Wes Anderson proud, as would the narration. The tone is absurdist yet decidedly earnest, making space for the story to be both wildly entertaining and deeply poignant. And frequently, they are proudly queer.
Adapted from Isabel Greenberg’s graphic novel of the same name, Julia Jackman’s sophomore feature is most nakedly a tale about the systematic oppression of women, filtered through the lens of bird gods and a planet with three moons and Jane Austen-coded romance. Cherry (Maika Monroe) has remained without child, despite being married to Jerome (Amir El-Masry) for six whole months! How scandalous. No one else but her faithful maid Hero (Emma Corrin) knows it’s due to her husband’s refusal to touch her. Faced with the threat of death (well, her death) if they don’t conceive in the next hundred days, Jerome makes a bet that Manfred (Nicholas Galitzine) cannot bed her in his absence. For which Cherry would also be put to death.
Read my full review on Pop Culture Maniacs.