1982 / 34m - USA
Drama
1.5*/5.0*
Illusions poster

Watches

December 18, 2020

1.5*/5.0*

I was actually quite excited to see a relatively modern short film receiving some critical praise, of course it turns out it's a 80s film pretending to be a 40s film. I probably should've known better, I've been around critics and films fans long enough, but I still fall for it once in a while.

Mignon Dupree is one of the few powerful women in Hollywood, with that power she tries to create a better world for struggling actresses of color, who aren't even being considered for onscreen parts. What the people around Mignon don't realize is that she's a black woman herself, parading around as a white girl.

If it isn't clear enough from the narrative, this is a short about racial and sexual oppression in 40s Hollywood, and its broader impact on society. The film isn't exactly subtle and the 40s look, while relatively efficient, isn't something I was really happy to see. Too crude and predictable to be good, but not entirely uninteresting.