Movie Review: Shirley
By Sophie Zucker
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One. “Biopic” is a new term for me. It means to dramatize and do justice to the true story of a historical person’s life in a way that entertains the audience. Josephine Decker does just that in her non-fiction movie adaptation called Shirley. The film follows the real-life horror author, Shirley Jackson, through the twists and turns of relationships and great novel-writing, all within the safety of her home.
From my understanding, Decker’s film is non-conforming to the classic concept of biopic, in that it does not romanticize the epic lifestyle of Shirley Jackson. Rather, the film confronts issues of depression, infidelity, and the overall unraveling of powerful women in the 1950s in way that does not make us envy Shirley, but still enables us to root for her in the end.
Two. I believe the film was groundbreaking because it illuminated the belittling, undermining and blatant neglecting of women in society; it did so in an abstract way that I feel has been unexplored by the cinematic world thus far. Unlike other movies that follow powerful women through their fight for justice and equality in a male-dominated world, the heroine of Shirley could not be more opposite. The story dates back to the 1950s, when we are introduced to Shirley Jackson as being a lonely and depressed horror-novel writer, who hasn’t stepped outside of her house in two years. She is not headstrong like the protagonists in other movies; instead, her character is unlikeable, disagreeable, and arguably set up to fail.
While in the middle of starting a novel about a missing woman named Paula Jean, Shirley is introduced to Rosie, a bouncy and vivacious young woman. Throughout the film, we learn that Paula Jean is an emblem of all women who have been silenced, used and mistreated in the patriarchal world that surrounds them. Simultaneously, we see the complex development of Shirley and Rosie’s interdependent relationship, which, in the end, leads them to entirely switch places.
Shirley gains back her sanity and motivation and finishes the impressively compelling novel that evokes words of praise from her stern husband. All the while, young Rosie assumes the position of an irrelevant, numb woman who has been betrayed by her husband, and disappointed by the world that once drove her.
In other words, the film confronts the devastating annihilation of women in a society that has failed them. It does so by using metaphors and intricate details to intertwine the disappearance of Paula, the unraveling of Rosie, and the recovery of forgotten Shirley. The movie is a story about women by women, which makes it both an irresistible and necessary watch in the sea of this decade’s great films.
Three. Prior to watching the film, I had no idea who Shirley Jackson was. The film provides us with an image of a woman who was lost in her own genius, and in a state of constant mental pain. Through watching, I learned that Shirley was both miserable in her relationship with her husband, but dependable on him for her physical well-being. Although he was her caretaker, he was manipulative and unfaithful, leaving her trapped in a marriage that she could not escape. It was also clear she suffered from anxiety and depression, which may have led her to believe she was insane or psychopathic.
It also seems that Shirley related in many ways to Paula Jean, the woman in her novel who had actually gone missing on a forest trail in 1946. Throughout the film, we learn that Shirley’s novel is not just a story about a girl who went missing, but the inglorious truth about the destruction and disappearance of all women in society. It also becomes clear that Shirley identifies with these women, as she, too is left feeling wrecked at the benefit of her husband’s satisfaction.
There are several quotes from the film that point to this. When Shirley’s husband comments on Paula’s disappearance, suggesting that there is nothing special about her “except for the fact that she’s gone,” Shirley replies:
“…there are dozens and dozens of girls like this littering campuses across the country! Lonely girls who cannot make the world see them.”
At little earlier in the film, we see Shirley and Rosie lying next to each other in bed, with Shirley’s hand on Rosie’s pregnant belly. She looks at Rosie and says softly, “let’s pray for a boy. The world is too cruel to girls.”
Four. A high point for me was a key scene that occurred a little less than halfway through the film, when we see Rosie follow Shirley into the words after a tense interaction with her husband, Stanley. During this scene, Shirley crouches by a wooden tree stump and picks up a mushroom that she calls a “death-cap mushroom,” a mushroom that kills anyone who ingests it. She extends the mushroom to Rosie, suggesting they both take a bite, but Rosie hesitates. Shirley then puts the whole thing in her mouth and swallows it, leaving Rosie horrified and on the edge of tears. Then, we see Shirley cackle with laughter, as she tells Rosie “that was not the death-cap mushroom…that is the death-cap mushroom,” while pointing to a different mushroom on the tree stump. She proceeds to ask Rosie if she trusts her and puts one of the mushroom stems into her mouth. Rosie swallows it, only to find out that it was not the death-cap mushroom, as Shirley had said. The two look each other deep in the eyes and smile.
This is a critical scene in the movie, as it is the first time that we are seeing an intense bond between Rosie and Shirley. Up until this point in the film, Shirley makes it clear that she doesn’t like Rosie and does not want her in her house. During this scene, we see a line of trust established between the characters that only grows throughout the film in very complex, unimaginable ways, despite their differences at the beginning.
The performance was both intense and intimate, and relied on close-ups to capture the plethora of expressions and emotion in the scene.
5. Celebrityhood in this movie is displayed in the most non-conventional way. We typically think of a celebrity as anyone who is idolized and/or admired by their audience for their talents, mantras and lifestyles. In the film, Shirley does not have many followers or admirers who look up to her. Instead, she is known in town for being that poor, lunatic woman living at the top of the hill.
At the beginning of the film, we see Shirley interacting with readers of her book. Yet, she is cold and rude, dropping snide comments at her guests and pushing away anyone who is curious about her work. It later becomes clear that, despite her genius and well-written novels, people are not eager to meet her or spend time with her as they might be with a traditional “celebrity.” They even advise Rosie not to stay with Shirley, as she has a very bad reputation among the townspeople.
If anything, it is Shirley’s husband Stanley who assumes the role of the conventional celebrity in the film. Stanley is flirtatious and charismatic, and liked by all of the townspeople (the women in particular.) At the Dean’s party, we see Stanley laughing with and kissing the cheeks of female guests and initiating a series of dance moves with the other people at the party. It is also clear that he’s admired by his students, as he serves as a mentor to Fred, Rosie’s husband.
For these reasons, Stanley is portrayed as the likable character to the outside world. In reality, he is cruel, misogynistic and insincere.
