I rented this film solely on a chance and found myself really, really suprised at just how well done it was.
Since, as of this writing, there is no plot synopsis here, I will include a brief one. A travelling sideshow, run by Tim Curry, pulls into a small town. It's star attraction is a young girl born covered in hair and billed as The Wolfgirl. She encounters taunts and threats from a group of young townie teenagers, as well as the posibility for a cure for her malady from the local misfit. The cure seems to work, but with the side effect that the previously gentle girl begins to experience more animalistic urges even as she physically becomes more "human".
This film seems to have come out of nowhere. It actually saw life on the USA Network as "Wolfgirl". I hadn't heard of it under either title. Neither name is particularly good, but hey, it's nit picking. The film far outshines such a stuff for a number of reasons.
The cast: Tim Curry is a perfect choice for Harley. He balances a desire for the financial survival of his show with a paternal love and respect for his performers. His is a colorful, yet flawed character, one whom you can easily both like and be angry with, and he makes it very believable. Grace Jones shows far more range than usual and makes great use of her androgeny in playing a half man/half woman. Darlene Cates, the mother from "Gilbert Grape" again amazes as Athena The Fat Lady. One wishes she could grace the screen more often. And Victoria Sanchez, as Tara The Wolfgirl, manages to truly seem beautiful beneath a full hairy make-up job. She is really phenomenal in a brave role for such a lovely looking young lady.
The rest of the cast is equally talented, and I would speak more of them, but for the desire to compliment some very special members. The performers of the freak show are anything but freaks. With the exception of Sanchez and Jones, almost every other sideshow performer is the real deal, and they shine. We are given a chance to see these people in everyday mode, not just as part of the show. The family they portray is believable and breathtaking. Never are they shown in anything but the most repectful light and when they get individual chances to act within character, they are, to a one, believable. Of particular note is Jordan Prentice as Finger Finnian, Harley's right hand man. Not a single false note whenever he is on screen.
The production: What an amazing-looking film! Marvelous production design gives the sideshow scenes an almost other-worldly quality. That the film was shot in Romania only adds to this old world feel within contemporary society. And Paul Jones' JoJo the Dog-Faced Boy make up design for Sanchez as the Wolfgirl is completely convincing. Really. Thom Fitzgerald's direction is biased towards the actors, as it should be here, but he also keeps the pace going and the details clear.
The songs: The sideshow performances themselves are often in musical form with some delightfully bawdy and clever tunes by John Roby. It really gives the film a special touch. It's also great to hear Curry get to sing with the broadness that we remember from Rocky Horror. If there is a CD out there with these songs, I want it! There is also a great Ani DiFranco tune ofver the end credits.
So, why does this film only get four stars after all this laudatory talk? The screenplay, while hitting the mark on the human end of things, seems to go slightly awry when it comes to the horror end of things. When there is violence or the like, it seems somwhat out of place, as if there was a story to tell, but that it was felt that it would only be marketable as a horror flick. It's too bad, because the emotional root is so strong (with the added idea that the "freaks", who are so obviously different, are not the ones with something to be ashamed of). Also, where are the police in this town? With all the delinquint juvvie activity, fearsome wolf attacks, etc., there's nary a cop in sight! Still, I would not hesitate to recommend this film. The four stars is relative to all other films, but that lack of a fifth should not be counted against it.
One final note: This film was suprising in how little it held back in a number of areas, particularly nudity, which is sometimes used for a truly appropriate "shock". I didn't have a problem with it, but it was so unexpected (and I'm not spoiling anything here) and unique that I was a bit taken aback. It's not what we're used to seeing in any mainstream film and some more prickly folk should be made aware.
With "Ginger Snaps" a short while ago, the fem-Werewolf themed film is having a suprising little uprising of quality cinema!
