OPENS FEBRUARY 13, CERT 15, 90 MINS The premise is hardly promising: two tough Argentinean lesbians kidnap a dowdy lingerie store worker, steal a taxi and head south for some crrrazy adventures with a mad maiden aunt. And yet, Suddenly, the slow-burning debut from Diego Lerman, is all about undercutting expectations. So criminal sapphic hipsters Mao (Carla Crespo) and Lenin (Veronica Hassan), with echoes of Baise-Moi, kidnap tubby Marcia (Tatiana Saphir) at knifepoint and demand: "Let's go fuck! I wanna eat your pussy!" But the bravado quickly subsides, and the movie instead focuses on the shifting power relationships between the three women. Similarly, the inky, saturated look has a hidden logic, moving from the Godardian cool of early scenes in Buenos Aires to a fuzzy, dreamlike resolution in the countryside. The cast acquit themselves amiably, with Hassan in particular simmering in a role that's practically mute for the first half of the film and then, as the title suggests, suddenly reveals hidden depths, particularly in the poignant closing scene.
OPENS FEBRUARY 13, CERT 15, 90 MINS
The premise is hardly promising: two tough Argentinean lesbians kidnap a dowdy lingerie store worker, steal a taxi and head south for some crrrazy adventures with a mad maiden aunt. And yet, Suddenly, the slow-burning debut from Diego Lerman, is all about undercutting expectations. So criminal sapphic hipsters Mao (Carla Crespo) and Lenin (Veronica Hassan), with echoes of Baise-Moi, kidnap tubby Marcia (Tatiana Saphir) at knifepoint and demand: “Let’s go fuck! I wanna eat your pussy!” But the bravado quickly subsides, and the movie instead focuses on the shifting power relationships between the three women. Similarly, the inky, saturated look has a hidden logic, moving from the Godardian cool of early scenes in Buenos Aires to a fuzzy, dreamlike resolution in the countryside. The cast acquit themselves amiably, with Hassan in particular simmering in a role that’s practically mute for the first half of the film and then, as the title suggests, suddenly reveals hidden depths, particularly in the poignant closing scene.
