Movies Reviews

The Scarlet Letter in the Post-Feminism Capital

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The Adventures of Sally’s Inner Demons posses the very current question of whether a modern woman struggling to find contentment in the self-destruction, that oftentimes accompanies city living, is capable of then turning her life around to accommodate the suburban ideals of the good life.

The protagonist, Sally, lives a reckless life of drinking, drug-abuse and promiscuity in an attempt to overcome the monotony of her 9 to 5 desk job before discovering she is expecting her first child as a single mother. While Sally’s permissive and occasionally unlikely choices could leave us a little lost in our sympathy for her troubles, Rayanna Dibs, an amazing actress who has just been cast in a new British full-length feature, ‘Alone’ due to film this summer, brings a very convincing and compelling innocence to the character that somehow manages to avoid this stereotype.

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While the short tends to get lost in it’s overambitious story arc as it enters its second half – with fragmented scenes that attempt to tie gaping timeline and character development points into the overall package as we follow Sally throughout her nine month pregnancy – Dibs never loses track of the subtle fragility of her character’s conflicts, effortlessly keeping us locked in to Sally’s quest for love and affection within a facile cityscape. But then perhaps it is no surprise that Dibs very much appears to be the main driver behind this film; the propelling force marrying the narrative, and indeed overarching tragedy, together. Dibs was given much leeway in her interpretation of the character, as director Sabine Lang took a collaborative approach to this tale of contemporary womanhood, encouraging much improvisation from its entire cast.

All in all, the short is a comprehensive account of the possible failings of western society, and a fabled yet realistic recount of one woman’s downfall in our apparently carefree and affluent society; although this is admittedly due to Dibs’ charisma and apathy a great deal more so than the short’s script alone. The Adventures of Sally’s Inner Demons has just enjoyed its launch at the Cannes Film Festival and is due to be running the festival circuit in the coming months.