Movie Notes: Grey Gardens

March 3rd, 2008

= 4 stars

Starring Edith Bouvier Beale, Edith “Little Edie” Bouvier Beale
Directed by Albert and David Maysles

Synopsis

1975 documentary of the eccentric Edith Bouvier Beale and her extremely eccentric daughter “Little Edie,” who live in a deteriorating Long Island mansion called “Grey Gardens,” seemingly oblivious to life outside the property. The duo are aunt and first cousin of Jackie Bouvier Kennedy.

The Good

• A refreshingly unique film; I’ve never seen anything quite like it. In this case, truth is stranger than fiction.
• The film style shows the bare minimum yet still evokes some interesting interpretations. In once scene, “Little Edie” regrets never traveling the world, and the camera cuts to bikes and cars passing by on a road just beyond some hedges. One thinks, the road is right there; has she ever walked down it? There’s another scene where mother and daughter argue and “Little Edie” goes outside to sunbathe; she’s perfectly framed within the door and vanishes for a moment behind one of the door’s crossbeams. Lastly, note a hole in the wall where raccoons break in — it gets progressively larger.
• Armchair psychiatry is encouraged with a fifty something, never married daughter still living at home with mom, upper-class privilege creating people unable to cope with the “real world,” or the peculiar way “Little Edie” preens for the camera, sporting odd outfits involving head wraps, brooches, and eyebrow alterations.
• Lots of cats, and raccoons that eat Wonderbread.

The Bad

• I began worrying immensely about the Edies’ mental state, in particular “Little Edie” who has definitely fallen off the deep end.
• There’s a limit to how much campy drama-queen ranting one can take — mine was about three quarters of the way in.
• The story surrounding the film is possibly more bizarre than the movie itself. It turns out “Little Edie” moved back in with her mom after dad ran out of money and abandoned the family, and she possibly wears those head-scarves because at one point she climbed up a tree and set fire to her hair. They basically have lived in that house until 1970 where the neighborhood tried to evict them, so Jackie Kennedy arrive with a $25,000 check and clean-up crew to keep them there. After the movie, the two became (in)famous, fashion designers were inspired by “Little Edie“‘s clothing, and inspired a Broadway musical. But much of this head-scratching trivia isn’t in the movie proper.
• If you’re into more mainstream movies, this may be too bizarre.

Conclusion

Certainly mesmerizing in an indie film, car-crash kind of way. Overall, it’s like a Christopher Guest mockumentary except with real nutty people, not fictional characters who merely act odd — these are the real deal. Knowing this is real creates an unsettling feeling of humor and pity.

Grey Gardens documents two individuals who create living time capsule, living a life of wealth and privilege in their minds, while completely unaware of the squalor in their very real surroundings. It’s certainly unforgettable. Now I’m going to find some butter pecan ice cream and clean my room.

IMDB: Grey Gardens
Wikipedia: Grey Gardens
Rotten Tomatoes: Grey Gardens 100%