This is not the first sexploitation movie I have seen but it will most likely be the last. I think Anna Biller is a beautiful and artistic woman who clearly has a unique style of filmography. As much as I enjoyed the bright 70s aesthetic and outfit designs, I simply did not enjoy the film. I found myself being mostly bored yet surprisingly uncomfortable for many scenes. By the end, I had such a headache and was just relieved that all the bad acting and confusing plot was over.
However, this is not to say that Viva does a bad job at what it is. In fact, I believe Biller does a fantastic job exploring 70s sexual liberation in a satirical and sexploitative way. The mis en scene of the film is not just for aesthetics but also specifically detailed to fit the style of playboy magazines and traditional gender roles. The approach to being a feminist or "liberated woman" in a heavily misogynistic and patriarchal society really shows how no matter what a woman decides to do, men's monstrous actions will always come about. The main character, Barbi, plays many different roles as she initially has a job, then is a housewife, tries to be a model, then becomes a sex worker, etc. And in every one of these roles, she is faced with a kind of brutality from the men around her. Although we have come a long way since these times, many of these problematic doings are still reflected today.
With all that being said, Biller is a timeless genius in her genre and of bad taste. Viva L'Anna!!
This is not the first sexploitation movie I have seen but it will most likely be the last. I think Anna Biller is a beautiful and artistic woman who clearly has a unique style of filmography. As much as I enjoyed the bright 70s aesthetic and outfit designs, I simply did not enjoy the film. I found myself being mostly bored yet surprisingly uncomfortable for many scenes. By the end, I had such a headache and was just relieved that all the bad acting and confusing plot was over.
However, this is not to say that Viva does a bad job at what it is. In fact, I believe Biller does a fantastic job exploring 70s sexual liberation in a satirical and sexploitative way. The mis en scene of the film is not just for aesthetics but also specifically detailed to fit the style of playboy magazines and traditional gender roles. The approach to being a feminist or "liberated woman" in a heavily misogynistic and patriarchal society really shows how no matter what a woman decides to do, men's monstrous actions will always come about. The main character, Barbi, plays many different roles as she initially has a job, then is a housewife, tries to be a model, then becomes a sex worker, etc. And in every one of these roles, she is faced with a kind of brutality from the men around her. Although we have come a long way since these times, many of these problematic doings are still reflected today.
With all that being said, Biller is a timeless genius in her genre and of bad taste. Viva L'Anna!!
