There is something about a film that takes no prisoners, especially a comedy, that can be completely irresistible. Im not talking about an ideology of us-versus-them in the great battle of good and evil, but rather one that holds a mirror up to all of us and shows us things we may not have considered before, things that might just make us squirm a little. And with Jennifer M. Kroots SIRENS OF THE 23rd CENTURY, Im not just talking about the bulimia motif.
Mirror is an apt metaphor for this tale set in the, duh, 23rd century. Its a time when beauty as an industry has been outlawed and, hence, forced underground and where super model death camps are a matter of historical record. Naturally, outlawing cosmetics stimulates an equal and opposite reaction that Newtons laws of thermodynamics can not only predict, but also makes inevitable. Beauty forbidden becomes even more irresistible, it also becomes regimented and those straying from the straight and narrow definition of same face taunting with extreme prejudice.
Our heroine is Princess Helen Darling (Kroot), a bright-eyed Goldilocks of an innocent wandering the wilder shores of beauty. Her disingenuous narration provides the piquant counterpoint to the nefarious doings on screen. Fleeing her arranged marriage more for the end that it spells to facials than for any objection to her groom, she is rescued, not to mention swept off her feet, by Dianna (Omewenne), the leader of the beauty underground, a blue-haired beauty who is glamorous, wise in the ways of CPR, and harboring a dark secret.
Kroot has created a color-saturated erotic fantasy in the service of omnisexual empowerment and the fight against the fascism of conformity. Its a wondrous synthesis of 30s Saturday morning serials and 60s spy flicks topped off with a healthy dollop of pop references and a visual concept that is irreverently bold and inventive. Though set in the future, the commentary is firmly set in the here and now with sly and delicious digs at present politics, such as one character decrying the ban on cosmetics by asking Why should the government control my body? The film doesnt take itself too seriously, but it does take its politics seriously as it plays broad, camp, and very smart. Revolutions include wet t-shirt contests, torture involves exposure to UV rays, and nonfat frozen yogurt becomes a metaphor for male bonding. It all leads to an epic climax involving the succinct cultural deconstruction of beauty and, of course, a shopping spree for our princess
SIRENS OF THE 23rd CENTURY is madness of the most divine nature. It amuses while it enlightens and topples paradigms. Never fear, theres enough glitter and sheer exuberance decorating the ugly truth to make it captivating and only mildly disorienting. After seeing it, you may never be able to look at a tube of lipstick or a magazine fashion spread in quite the same way. Thats not such a bad thing, since the reaction they will likely provoke is a knowing smile and maybe even a hearty guffaw.
Your Thoughts?