Her Smell (2018)

Director: Alex Ross Perry
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens
Runtime: 134 minutes

Synopsis: A self-destructive punk rocker struggles with sobriety while trying to recapture the creative inspiration that led her band to success.

Performances: 5/5
Screenplay: 5/5
Costumes/Makeup: 5/5
Editing: 4/5
Cinematography: 5/5
Score/Soundtrack: 5/5

Verdict: Boy oh boy I wasn't expecting THAT. "Her Smell", directed by Alex Ross Perry, was an absolute treat from beginning to end, and quite possibly one of the most overlooked movies of the entire year. It baffles me that the film didn't find the success it deserves during last year's award season despite premiering at TIFF to globally positive reviews, and it baffles me even more that it only made a little more than $200,000 at the box office.

The film serves mostly as a character study of punk rock vocalist Becky Something, played by an unrecognizable, easily Oscar-worthy Elisabeth Moss. The actress has been slowly turning into one of Hollywood's finest over the past few years, and I believe that her abilities as an actress have peaked in this movie. She also didn't take all the spotlight and allowed her costars, which include the likes of Cara Delevingne, Ashley Benson, Amber Heard, Gayle Rankin, and Dan Stevens, to shine as well. However, the other person responsible for the success of the movie has to be writer/director Alex Ross Perry. Not only did he give life to the characters through carefully written dialogue and a perfectly chronicled arc, but he also managed to parallel the main character's state in the film's cinematography, editing, and score. I cannot believe how well crafted this movie was from a technical point of view and how effective it was at making the audience care about a very unlikeable protagonist.

"Her Smell" is easily one of my favorite movies of last year and I'm legitimately shocked that it didn't get the reception it deserves. I cannot recommend it enough and am now eager to check out Perry's entire filmography. 

FINAL GRADE: 9/10