Snapshots

This film is appearing in the Reeling Film Festival in Chicago. http://reelingfilmfestival.org/
This film is appearing in Out On Film in Atlanta.
http://www.outonfilm.org/

Snapshots is a feminist indie film about three generations of women by Melanie Mayron ("Thirtysomething," Jane The Virgin," "Glow," Grace and Frankie"). It is written by Jan Miller Corran and Katherine Cortez. It is based on a "true story" by Corran. Shot in digital, the movie runs 91 minutes in English. Supertitles are not available.

Rose Muller (Piper Laurie, "Carrie," "Twin Peaks, "The Hustler"), her daughter Patty (Brooke Adams, "Days of Heaven, "The Dead Zone," "Invasion of the Body Snatchers"), and her daughter Allison (Emily Baldoni, "Reckless," "Coherence") are spending a long weekend together to catch up. Each carries a heavy secret that is soon revealed once Rose unpacks a long, lost box of mementos from the 1960's. The box contains photos of her greatest love, Louise (Emily Goss). Flashbacks tell us the story of Young Rose (Shannon Collis) and a years long secret romance with Louise.

The acting in "Snapshots" has some high highs and low lows. For example, the work performed by Piper Laurie is well done. Laurie doesn't have a lot of lines but she's on camera often. She has an expressive face; the camera catches her silent responses like a fond friend.

The best camera work is done during the flashback sequences. Shannon Collis and Emily Goss are the most believable in their roles as retro housewives. Goss plays free-spirited Louise with natural spunk. Collis's uptight morality matches up with Laurie's mature stillness. They maneuver the sometimes trite dialogue respectably. There are only so many times one can hear a same sex couple say, "I'm scared... Of how right this feels" on screen without cringing. They make it sound nearly genuine.

"Glee" fans will be happy to know that Max Adler is alive, well, and plays the minor role of Joe Muller in this film. Joe is a business focused, loving but absent husband to Rose. Adler is still his charismatic self. This minor role is a highlight of the film.

Cathy DeBuono is in approximately three minutes of this film as neighbor Maybeth and in those three minutes she steals the movie. Her role is a device to teach us that Patty is a homophobe. Otherwise we wouldn't know anything about her. It's a shame because BeBuono swiftly captures our attention with her brief scene.

The hair and makeup design attempts to tell us a story about growth and change. It fails to do so. Goss's cut and hair color are poorly executed. Collis's extensions in her final scenes look cheap. The work done on Brooke Adams to make her look younger than Piper Laurie only highlights how similar in age they two women are. None of it is believable.

Despite being based on a "true story, "Snapshots" is unoriginal. It suffers from Sudden Gay Death Syndrome. Our two lesbian characters aren't allowed to be happy; one of them must die in order to redeem the "bad behavior" of the other. Traditionally the more aggressive lover dies tragically while the other is reasserted into heteronormalcy. As is the case in "Snapshots," one of the young lovers lives in order to prevent progeny from living life to her gayest. Stating that a movie is "based on a true story" is an indicator that writers took liberties with the screenplay. It's a shame they didn't enough of them to grant the lovers a sincerely happy ending.

"Snapshots"
Directed by Melanie Mayron
Written by Jan Miller Corran and Katherine Cortez
Three Women in a Box Films
2018