That opening news report-esque splatter of the remarkable Hysterical Girl kicks open the door of urgency and relevance . The 13 minute short film ends on a punch too, a glorious but ponderous one. Pretty much everything in between – not a second wasted – is candid, paramount and unforgettable.
Hysterical Girl has the female stature form front and centre, as part of an immeasurable history of varying gender behavioural segregation. It may seem a relatively easy notion to portray, once heads are pulled from the sand and the blatant evidence is displayed – or simply spoken.
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In terms, directly, of this documentary-of-sorts, a specific selection of women take to an intrinsic soapbox and deliver the message – one which seems to still be echoed given the distinct lack of social change. Behind the camera, a director, one Kate Novack. An Emmy-nominated filmmaker who appears to have complete control of the extensive material thrown at us here. Skilfully woven across the screen faster than a human hand could possibly stitch up a mere garment hole.
And the teenager girl – a subject of Sigmund Freud no less – bursting at the seams of ongoing personal trauma. Then the nervous actress, with a striking voice and an infectious laugh, about to step into the sneakers of “Dora”, Freud’s hysterical girl, for the purpose of documenting this century-plus old case.
The magnificent Tommy Vines’ responsibility is a key one of course, a modern-day regurgitation of Dora, oozing matter-of-fact emotional ammo and a subtle battering ram of deviance. She nails it. Sure, the film is named Hysterical Girl, but a taxing reminder must continue to be erected of the dismaying pigeon-holes women and girls are way more often than not dropped into when they express their troubles – let alone scream it from the rooftops.
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With the voice of Brian Kelly providing the oration of that illustrious psychologist Sigmund Freud, Kate Novack’s short picture arms its multi-layered messages with not just voice-over and performance, but snippets from all over the popular culture shop. Integral moments and moral codes that require unfathomable amounts of time, are given it. And the rapid editing impresses to cram those multitudes of injustice and conduct right before our eyes and mind.
There’s no preparation for the barrage of stock footage of Freud and the like, films clips (some you’ll recognise more than others), water colour animation, political scandals and their memorable media coverage, paintings et al. The film editing is devastatingly good, an immense amalgamation of imagery, enough to subliminally and directly slap you across the face. And yet the documentary is neither cruel nor condescending.
Music shifts are of the time, depicting an era-appropriate aura while maintaining the remit of emotional weight. Right through to those affectional, pensive strings at the film’s close. And while still echoing the attitudes and portrayal of certain women we’ve become accustomed to in films gone by. And in real life of course.
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In its short but enduring journey, Hysterical Girl manages to somewhat dislodge the story it is telling from the accompanying images, intentionally no longer fitting an almost spoon-fed mood and tone, but rather contrasting them as a form of enlightenment. Trinkets of womanhood and identity are emblazoned, not exactly throttling the audience, but to further enhance the plight. Even in using the term ‘plight’, this male reviewer has to question his wording, and what that might convey to readers.
Hysterical Girl is by no means a finger-pointing exercise at the discordant, ignorant men of the world in the history of time. You do, though, regardless of gender, have to embrace the misaligned treatment of the fairer sex. When will we learn that what this short film – and countless other explorative forms of media – are attempting to say certainly don’t have us smelling of roses? It’s neither bold nor brave, then, to declare Hysterical Girl a film that blossoms in every way essential.
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