Personal Shopper: The Weird Indie

I had seen a reference to Personal Shopper and I had to look up what exactly this film was. I've never had much on an interest in Kristen Stewart before and after the Twilight phenomenon. I read that this was a movie worth being a prolific acting achievement for Kristen Stewart in her post-Twilight career. I had avoided it for a while til I was in the mood to try it out. Little did I know it was going to be a very bizarre plot for this indie movie.

It has a bit of a slow burn at the beginning of the film, and I had to stop it around the 15 minute mark to let my brain absorb it. The pacing and introduction was something I didn't expect. Kept my interest, and it was a unorthodox way I’ve seen a film open up in a direction I really didn’t see coming. It’s a film that really makes you feel lost, You navigate the story of this film with very limited information but it’s enough information to keep you going. But the information you get take some time to absorb. It was a few weeks later before I tried again to see what made this film into a sleeper hit and why many were interested in it. When I finished it the first time, I was not too thrilled yet, I wasn't entirely disappointed. Over the next couple of times I watched it, it did start to grow on me. But I still don’t know how I feel about it and I feel like that’s what really makes the impact of this film and why it’s hailed as Kristen Stewart’s best film.

Even after I introduced this film to some of my friends, they have the same reaction I did, they still don’t know how to feel about it

A young woman named Maureen chooses to stay in Paris in hope to contact her deceased twin brother. While maintaining her stressful occupation as a personal shopper for a egotistical celebrity. Bizarre occurrences begin to happen wondering if she’s being contacted from beyond the grave or if it’s something else entirely that's selected her as a paranormal target.

I ended up giving this film a second shot and found myself fascinated with the non-linear plot. The flow of the film in the plot development worked to the advantage of being a film open for many interpretations.

After watching the film a couple more times . I looked up on IMDb to find any trivia on how this film was made. One of the insightful facts I found to be very interesting was when it premiered at the Cannes film Festival there were some audience members that openly 'booed' at the film. Even after the premiere of the film , the following it has afterwards only make the eerie appeal more alluring to watch . This was a film more suited for the smaller screen in the aftermath then the worldwide theater treatment.

Of all the films to have a supernatural element. This one does something entirely different by not seeing what exactly the entity is or to identify what exact entity it is. Of all the films I have seen that have the paranormal or spiritual ambiance to the plot. This was one that didn't have to go to a horror route, which was a relief to me to continue watching. It took a simple way and underrated way of the entity out there. Something out there that still an enigma of the motive or what exactly it is.

I will agree that the performance Kristen Stewart gives has earned the acclaim and attention . It stands out above her other acting roles from her early years starting out as a child actor for movies like Cold Creek Manor, Panic Room, Zathura. Then the Twilight years happened, it brought prominence to her name but not exactly in good circumstances or praise. Now this movie has a place for her change for mature roles. She has the ability to star in the leading roles without ensemble accompaniment. It's refreshing to see how much she's changed, it shows, even in this weird paranormal film.

The film takes several different routes of story telling: some silence for the eerie ambiance to take over, the fashion scenes (I'm a sucker for anything that has an inkling of fashion), a new twist of revealing paranormal events, the idea of isolation and loneliness, a sympathetic idea of closure in the character study of Maureen. There are some unspoken moments and moments that aren't quite elaborated but it does have that special something of a unique premise to it that makes up for some lost parts. It makes it very interesting that it’s not a cardboard film.

It’s a film to be interpreted for many outlets, depending on the viewer. It's a film to not be taken too serious . It’s a weird film for a night in. As someone who enjoys the films that flew under the radar then the films that are over-hyped. This is a film that I have come to enjoy as a part of my collection. It's a special brand of weird to enjoy.