For today's Female Filmmakers blog post we are going to look at the one and only Karyn Kusama, a bold and daring director who likes to do things her way no matter what. Who doesn't love a take-charge lady?
Karyn is a 53-year-old film director who originally hails from St. Louis. She was raised by her Japanese mother and her Midwestern father who are both psychiatrists, but she found her way to the arts by studying at NYU's prestigious film school.
She has said that 1986's Something Wild, which was released during her freshman year at film school, was a huge inspiration to her. She said that Melanie Griffith's wild character arc had her watching and rewatching the film, again and again, to dissect what exactly was happening in the movie. I feel the same way! I love watching that movie and checking out Melanie Griffith's, um, "character arc".
Let's talk more about Kusama's career! She made her debut ten years after she graduated. film school with the boxing movie Girlfight which also gave Michelle Rodriguez her start. The film was critically acclaimed and nominated for Independent Spirit Awards. The film is really good, but Michelle does not go nude in it.
She followed that up with 2005's Aeon Flux, based on the animated series. This sexy sci-fi film stars Charlize Theron as a seductive assassin in skintight clothing who is sent out by Frances McDormand to kill a fascist dictator. The fight scenes are fantastic, but I'm partial to Charlize's costuming choices:
Her finest work is arguably 2009's horror-comedy Jennifer's Body. The script was written by Diablo Cody, the brilliant mind behind Juno, and the cast stars Skin favorites Amanda Seyfried and Megan Fox in a film about changing bodies and hidden desires. Amanda's meek character clearly has a crush on her hot friend, played by Megan Fox, who is also possessed by something that gives her a serious taste for blood.
The film was mildly received when it was first released, but the tide has definitely changed. Jennifer's Body has gained a cult following in the past few years as modern viewers have watched it with a new lens, realizing that the film is much more satirical than it was originally marketed as. Plus Megan Fox is in the movie and she is stunning.
She has also directed several TV show episodes like The L Word, Masters of Sex,Casual, and Billions. So she knows how to direct sex! It turns out that she is very good at doing just that.
2018's Destroyer, she directed the A-list Aussie Nicole Kidman. In one sexy scene that shows Nicole in her bra, she starts playing around with her guy's member who asks her to "spit on it". I'd happily let Nicole Kidman spit on me any day of the week.
You can watch that scene here:
She has stated that she never wants to work on a movie again where she doesn't have a final cut because she is a "strong-minded director" who knows exactly what she wants and how. That often comes up against what studios want of her, but that is partially why she is so badass.
In all of her films, she tells her stories with strong female characters. Her films have feminist themes and almost all of them have female leads. She has said that she enjoys flawed female characters whose moral compass is very ambiguous. The unapologetically feminist director also likes to explore grief, anxiety, and despair as underlying existential themes.
So what is next for Karyn? She is slated to direct a remake of one of the Universal monster movies, Dracula. I can't wait to sink my fangs into whatever she does next!
