Ladyworld, the new film from filmmaker Amanda Kramer, starts off with a dark thrill; over a minute of black screen accompanied by the sounds of destruction. It’s a jarring start, and effective. The only hint that the screen isn’t broken in the opening credits, which appear in plain white script on the screen’s bottom right. Then we’re in a drab house, one with cracked walls and fallen chandeliers. The most striking image is the main set of windows, which sit above a long table. They’re covered nearly to the top by what appears to be soil.
The world has ended. Maybe. Or there has been an earthquake, sinkhole or some other calamity that has dropped a house – and the birthday party of young women inside it – underground. With only birthday cake to eat and nothing to drink or wash with, their days are numbered. They quickly set out to elect a leader, the win going to the modest Olivia (Ariela Barer) rather than conniving, power-hungry Piper (Annalise Basso). The recipe – a clever mix of Lord of the Flies, Mean Girls and It Comes at Night, seasoned with excellent young talent – is delicious. The finished product, however, proves to be a little less delicious than it could have been.
The film’s promise is heightened by dreamy yet precise cinematography (by Patrick Meade Jones), but it’s all diminished by the overtly theatrical style of storytelling, which makes the actors, and the entire production, seem like a school project. While the overacting and fixed camera angles could perhaps be explained by Kramer’s experience in the theater, or to suggest the theatrical way in which women or viewed, or perhaps because the underground house is actually representative of a giant doll house, Kramer (who co-wrote the screenplay with Benjamin Shearn in addition to directing) is too smart for that. But while these more obvious metaphors don’t entirely fit, nothing else really fits as well. If there’s a greater purpose here, it’s not clearly laid out.
Or maybe it’s simply that previously mentioned potential hints at a greater purpose. It could just be a stylized look at a group of women forced into an apocalyptic scenario. On those grounds alone, Ladyworld is still fun. The cast, though they’ve obviously been directed to act as if they’re on the stage, is filled with talent, particularly Ryan Simpkins (who plays the doll-toting Dolly with a Miss Havisham quirk) and Maya Hawke (daughter of Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke), whose rebellious Romy gets many of the best lines. And the plot, which hinges around the sighting of a man who may or may not exist, is chilling even though the heightened style makes it hard to suspend disbelief and feel real chills.
Again, that might not be the point. But with so many satisfying components, it’s frustrating to feel as if you’re missing the big idea as a film rolls along. While some of Ladyworld’s rougher edges can be explained by a limited budget, that can’t explain decisions like blocking and performances. The bottom line ends up being that Ladyworld is enjoyable, but the parts end up being greater than the whole. The scenes in which the full party of women go at it recall The Crucible, and it is in those scenes in particular that question whether Ladyworld would be better suited to the theater. Regardless, the film announces or confirms the talent of several major talents, with co-writer/director Amanda Kramer first among them.
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