Maps To The Stars

Maps to the Stars is a 2014 film directed by David Cronenberg. Premiering at Cannes in may the film is a satirical exploration of how Hollywood manipulates and destroys innocence and youth. The film follows an aging actress, daughter of a Hollywood icon whose career is waning and who is slowly using her sanity, at the same time a young child star who is struggling with drug addiction attempts to salvage his career whilst dealing with the reappearance of his estranged sister.

The film is superbly acted, Julianne Moore is perfect as Havana, expertly portraying a former child star who is struggling to revitalize her career. Moore won the Best Actress award at Cannes and her performance is by far the best part of this film, Moore subtly portrays a woman slowly loosing her mind as she sees visions of her dead mother. Mia Wasikowska portrays her suffering assistant, a mysterious girl with awful burn marks and a hidden story. Finally newcomer Evan Bird plays Benjy Weiss, a spoilt and petulant child star, being manipulated by his parents, two of the most awful stage parents imagined, who also happen to be siblings.

The film is okay, sorry if that isn't very eloquent, although the visuals and the acting are strong, the film lacks direction. The film follows two disparate but tenuously linked plots, and although the plot featuring Julianne Moore as Havana is by far the strongest and most interesting plot, the other plot involving Benjy Weiss seems to take precedence despite being thematically confused and dull. Cronenberg seems at a loss to decide what he wants this story to be about, and he never truly makes a decision about which story he is going to follow, and thematically he is never sure what this story is supposed to be about, it seems to be partly about the perils of living a life seeped in Hollywood, of growing up surrounded by luxury, or if it wants to be about incest, family and manipulation.

The failures of Maps To The Stars rely wholly on Cronenberg's inability to focus and streamline the story, and so despite being a visually interesting and confidently acted drama, Maps To The Stars is messy, unfocused and confused. Rating: C+

Havana: She used to let producers put their cocks in her ass and pee.