Whore

Rewatching this so soon because there's like a million things about this that keep bouncing around in my head. Ken Russell really leans into the fake-doc thing and it's awesome to see how well Theresa Russell champions this immense role and makes the whole thing work. Whore is just bleeding with color and style and even a great amount of humor from Ken Russell(I mean he uses two of his movies for marquee titles at cheap theatres). Beyond the form factors that rock so damn hard, there's this layer of tenderness displayed by the characters that could break even the coldest of hearts. Watching Katie and Liz sitting by the tub, reading and sharing wine and cigarettes made me cry. Their game of scrabble is almost equally gut-wrenching is the most loving way possible. One of Ken Russell's strengths is certainly his ability to adapt works of cinema around positive depictions of prostitutes and sex workers. There's rarely a time where the choice from Liz is seen as one that makes her less than. It makes his vision so warm and inviting because the characters aren't belittled or devalued but rather empowered and more endearing for it. At only 85 minutes there's no reason not to give this a spin. It's one of my favorite movies, and I could probably rewatch it endlessly for the rest of my life in awe of the mirror shots, camera angles, lighting, and Theresa Russell's captivating performance. Honestly, it's worth it for the city bench scene alone. I was bawling my eyes out just like the first time, and I'm sure I'll bawl my eyes out again the next time. Hell, I just might watch it again tomorrow and see.