Shirley
Shirley (2020 film)
| Shirley | |
|---|---|
 Official release poster | |
| Directed by | Josephine Decker |
| Produced by |
|
| Screenplay by | Sarah Gubbins |
| Based on | Shirley by Susan Scarf Merrell |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Tamar-kali |
| Cinematography | Sturla Brandth Grøvlen[1] |
| Edited by | David Barker |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Neon |
Release date |
|
Running time | 107 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Shirley is a 2020 American biographical drama film, directed by Josephine Decker, from a screenplay by Sarah Gubbins, based upon the novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrell, which formed a "largely fictional story" around novelist Shirley Jackson's real life during the time period she was writing Hangsaman.[2] The film stars Elisabeth Moss as Jackson with Michael Stuhlbarg, Odessa Young and Logan Lerman. Martin Scorsese serves as an executive producer.
Shirley had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2020 where Decker won a U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Auteur Filmmaking and was released on June 5, 2020, by Neon. The film received positive reviews, with praise for Moss's performance.
Plot[edit source]
Fred and Rose Nemser are newlyweds relocating to Bennington College for Fred's job as a lecturer.[3] Fred is about to work for Stanley Hyman while Rose, still a student, is immediately enthralled by the work of Stanley's wife, Shirley Jackson.
Shortly after their arrival Stanley asks Rose to do menial jobs around the house as Shirley is struggling with her output as a writer and a recent bout of agoraphobia. Fred and Rose move into the house and Rose is shocked to find her chores more akin to the role of a housekeeper. She also witnesses how Stanley and Shirley's marriage is bitter and acrimonious. Shirley is also initially deliberately provocative and cruel to Rose.
As the Nemsers move into their house Shirley begins writing, announcing a new work based on Paula Jean Welden a young woman who recently disappeared from Bennington's campus. Stanley is controlling and obsessive over Shirley's writing, believing her to be a genius but forcing her to stay committed to her output. Despite her initial cruelty, Shirley begins to think of Rose as somewhat of a muse and opens up to her, having her do research for her, including stealing the medical files for Paula Jean Welden. As the two grow closer Rose becomes more protective of Shirley and a sexual flirtation builds up between them.
In the meantime the relationship between Stanley and Fred deteriorates as Stanley seeks to tamp down Fred's academic ambitions and torpedo his career.
Some months later Rose gives birth and Shirley remains deep in the throws of writing. Feeling that the Nemsers have served their purpose, Stanley arranges for them to move out. Desperate to stay, Rosie writes Paula Jean Welden's name in a library book and gives it to Shirley, implying that Paula could have been taking a course with Stanley and having an affair with him. To her shock, Shirley is unaffected and reveals that she is well aware of who Stanley is having an affair with and that Paula was not one of his lovers. She also reveals that Fred has been having affairs with his students the whole time.
After confronting Fred, Rose runs off to the trail where Paula disappeared and Shirley finds her on the verge of jumping off a cliff. Rose returns home and she and Fred finally leave the Hynes-Jackson house, though Rose vows never to return to being the docile domestic wife of before.
Alone at last, Shirley finally allows Stanley to read her work. He declares it a work of genius and the two dance and celebrate.
Cast[edit source]
- Elisabeth Moss as Shirley Jackson
- Michael Stuhlbarg as Stanley Edgar Hyman
- Odessa Young as Rose Nemser/Paula
- Logan Lerman as Fred Nemser[4]
- Victoria Pedretti as Katherine
- Orlagh Cassidy as Caroline
- Robert Wuhl as Randy Fisher
Production[edit source]
On May 16, 2018, it was announced that Josephine Decker was set to direct an adaptation of Susan Scarf Merrell's novel Shirley, based on a screenplay by Sarah Gubbins. Producers were set to include Jeffrey Soros, Simon Horsman, Christine Vachon, David Hinojosa, Elisabeth Moss, Sue Naegle, and Gubbins. Production companies involved with the film were slated to consist of Los Angeles Media Fund and Killer Films.[5] Martin Scorsese serves as an executive producer.[6]
Alongside the initial production announcement, it was confirmed that Elisabeth Moss and Michael Stuhlbarg had been cast as Shirley Jackson and Stanley Hyman, respectively.[5] On September 6, 2018, it was announced that Odessa Young and Logan Lerman had joined the cast of the film.[7]
Principal photography for the film began in late July 2018 in Jefferson Heights, New York.[8][9] Scenes were also filmed at Vassar College, which stood in for Bennington College.[10]
Release[edit source]
It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 25, 2020.[11] Decker won a U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award for Auteur Filmmaking.[12] Shortly after, Neon acquired distribution rights to the film.[13] It was released on June 5, 2020.[14]
Reception[edit source]
On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 188 reviews, with an average rating of 7.49/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Elevated by outstanding work from Elisabeth Moss, Shirley pays tribute to its subject's pioneering legacy with a biopic that ignores the commonly accepted boundaries of the form."[15] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[16]
Laurence Jackson Hyman, Jackson's son, criticized the movie's portrayal of his parents, noting that “If someone comes to the movie not knowing anything about my parents, they will certainly leave thinking that my mother was a crazy alcoholic and my father was a mean critic.” He also expressed that, in his opinion, the movie failed to portray Jackson's sense of humor.[17]
Harper's Bazaar considered the film "a gripping, psychologically unsettling drama", noting it to be "loosely based on real life... far from a traditional biopic, instead playing on the horror tropes of Jackson's own work to lure viewers inside the author's brilliant but troubled mind."[18]
NBC News, stating that the film "captures the chills-down-your-spine feeling that Jackson’s writing so skillfully masters" observed that "while many of the characters are real, most of Merrel's (sic) book is fictional, which might confuse the casual film-watcher" and noted that "the quandary of fictionalizing a real life is not new, and it remains an ethically muddy endeavor"; "After watching “Shirley” there may be people who think Shirley Jackson was vicious, childless and incapable of keeping herself bathed and fed. And that is unfortunate."[19]
Accolades[edit source]
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sundance Film Festival | February 1, 2020 | U.S. Dramatic Special Jury Award: Auteur Filmmaking | Josephine Decker | Won | [20] |
| U.S. Dramatic Competition Grand Jury Prize | Nominated |
Factual and fictional elements[edit source]
The Nemsers are fictional characters; the New Yorker observed that at the time depicted in the film (the writing of Hangsaman) Jackson and Hyman had three children, who do not appear in the film.[21][22]
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