Twilight really made lots of non tween girls angry, for many reasons. For me the biggest gripe is the simplification of Kristen Stewart as “the girl in the love triangle with a vampire and werewolf.” Anyone who watched Stewart’s indie films realizes she’s a real talent, with some great acting chops. Personal Shopper continues Stewart’s ascension in my book towards must see thespian. Twilight comes right before darkness creeps in, but perhaps Stewart turned her world upside down and the movie was the dawn of a great acting career.
Maureen (Stewart) is living life in neutral. She lives in Paris, buying fashion items for Kyra (Nor van Waldstatten), a famous person who can’t be seen in public. Her boyfriend Gary (Ty Olwin) skypes her begging her to come to the Middle East, where he works. Maureen, however, refuses to leave until she gets spiritual closure from her deceased twin, with whom she tries to communicate using her medium “capabilities.”
(Forewarning: I’d suggest not reading on and go see the movie first as I might SPOIL something for you)
I hated writing that description, and plead with everyone to go see this movie without me telling you more, because Olivier Assayas’s story/directing has lots of entertainment to heap upon you. Assayas drops you into extreme discomforting quiet early and often; initially I was bored, but then stuff starts to interrupt the quiet and I quickly perked up. The early stillness infuses dread and fear into this story. The dichotomy Maureen feels with her spiritual journey and her pointless current state manifests in unhappiness with herself, further pushing her towards these random connections she makes at Kara’s apartment or over the phone via text. Assayas brilliantly turns the phone into a character, using capitals, Airplane mode, and “…” to create further questions and creepiness into what Maureen and the audience are witnessing. Without giving anything away, the ending wraps up enough that you feel satisfied but leaves you with multiple questions that will stick in your head days later, like buying hot dogs but forgetting the buns (I had to get a shopping reference in there somewhere).
How far Kristen Stewart has come, though. Seriously. Stewart is amazing in this movie. At least 75% of the time she’s by herself or communicating via text message. The young star has the ability to pull of the thousand yard stare she learned clearly listening to Taylor Lautner try to act for a decade. The twitchiness she displayed in the Twilight movies is also on display here, but Stewart hones in the overacting and combines the awkward with the melancholy. There’s a scene where someone is interrogating her, and you see Maureen succumb to despair, nerves, and a yearning for answers, a mix of emotions Stewart executes flawlessly. It’s truly amazing to think that Bella Swan could carry an entire movie about buying clothes and seeking closure and make it riveting cinema. Bravo, Ms. Stewart! I’ll be thinking of you come Oscar time.
The closest movie comparison to Personal Shopper is the Sixth Sense. There’s not a crazy plot twist here, but the movie captures M. Night Shyamalan’s eye for creating a haunting mood and atmosphere through a fascinating character. Great…now I want Olivier Assayas to write “I see dead people” into a scene where Stewart is buying a dress.