New student Heather (Carrie MacLemore) enters liberal arts school with high sensibility and goals. Quickly noted by a group of smug conceited self-appointed societal critics Violet Wister (Greta Gerwig), Rose (Megalyn Echikunwoke) and Lily (Analeigh Tipton) she soon becomes accepted as part of their intricate operations. Always taking their cerebral self-awareness to the point of absurdity they exist in some self-created universe, where they attempt to break apart conventions and break down every behaviour to its bare necessity. Treating dorm inhabitants as underprivileged and in need of special care, opening a 'suicide prevention centre' focused on step dancing and handing out doughnuts, or attempting to create a world-wide dance craze, the group thrives on the absurd. The movie follows this inexplicable grouping by creating for them their own awkward reality of student life, far apart from the norm, instead placed somewhere in some sort of "Cruel Intentions" limbo, but without the cruelty or having any intentions, sprinkled with a touch of Wes Anderson alternate reality.
Born in the head of Whit Stillman, "Damsels in Distress" is his supposed big comeback after 13 years of creative hell. Apparently for him such a long divide from filmmaking largely incapacitated his abilities to deliver a flowing narrative, instead focusing on figments of audacious quirkiness, not a far cry from the cult "Rushmore". Overbearing with dry humour delivered under languishing tirades made by characters, Stillman seems like the fabricator of a long inside joke, to which only he is privy. Cutting apart the pieces of dialogue does guarantee finding some pretty wry inspiring writing, but the overall cumbersome triviality delivered with a monotone fashion hardly infuses interest. Much like in any Wes Anderson universe the reality is molded by characters living a seemingly disparate set of laws and rules, but here they are much less coherent. Basically anyone disliking Anderson is bound to revolt against "Damsels in Distress", but even those akin with his sensibility and focus on eccentricity are not guaranteed satisfaction in this groggy and obscured satire. Fronted by distinctly cold characters "Damsels in Distress" has no charm, instead permeating with a sense of frigid pointlessness of its choppy narrative.
Born in the head of Whit Stillman, "Damsels in Distress" is his supposed big comeback after 13 years of creative hell. Apparently for him such a long divide from filmmaking largely incapacitated his abilities to deliver a flowing narrative, instead focusing on figments of audacious quirkiness, not a far cry from the cult "Rushmore". Overbearing with dry humour delivered under languishing tirades made by characters, Stillman seems like the fabricator of a long inside joke, to which only he is privy. Cutting apart the pieces of dialogue does guarantee finding some pretty wry inspiring writing, but the overall cumbersome triviality delivered with a monotone fashion hardly infuses interest. Much like in any Wes Anderson universe the reality is molded by characters living a seemingly disparate set of laws and rules, but here they are much less coherent. Basically anyone disliking Anderson is bound to revolt against "Damsels in Distress", but even those akin with his sensibility and focus on eccentricity are not guaranteed satisfaction in this groggy and obscured satire. Fronted by distinctly cold characters "Damsels in Distress" has no charm, instead permeating with a sense of frigid pointlessness of its choppy narrative.