Contrary to what one might expect given her lineage and initial directorial foray in the horror anthology DE GENERAZIONE, Asia Argento's first full length feature isn't a scare flick but an occasionally embarrassingly personal reflection by the youthful actress/filmmaker on her involuntarily imposed role as public commodity. A single blood-soaked nightmare sequence serves as a tribute to dad Dario, a courtesy she could hardly fail to include, especially since he co-produced this baby !
Defying criticism, Asia stars and rarely leaves the screen as Anna Battista, Italy's hottest (okay ), multi-award-winning (ouch !) starlet of the day. So far, so self-indulgent. Detractors will however find it difficult to make accusations of rampant narcissism stick when Argento goes out of her way to paint herself as a hump anything slut, unrepentant substance abuser and borderline psycho ! Struggling to realize her pet project, the titular SCARLET DIVA, Anna has to contend with a randy US producer (beefing up the film's comedy quota), a fawning if clueless agent and a pair of pan-sexual photographers who nearly get her killed when they dope her up on Special K (no, not the breakfast cereal !) as a prelude to carnal liberties. Watch out for big-breasted pasta porn princess Selen (from Joe D'Amato's terrific RAW AND NAKED) as one of Anna's one night stands making a lusty pit stop on her way to the airport.
Vivid snapshots from the everyday life of a media darling make for an engaging if inevitably episodic film, pulled together in its second half by the injection of a one-sided love story between Anna and a self-important, platitude-spewing performance artist. This guy's an obvious fraud to anyone but our blinded heroine who insists on creating her own illogical happily ever after when life won't grant her as much. The line between Anna and Asia fades away for a haunting, unabashedly kitsch-flavored ending as Argento's creative mind takes action, bending the turn of events so that the protagonist achieves not only romantic bliss but in a nose-thumbing move to the lady's naysayers near-canonization in the process !
Defying criticism, Asia stars and rarely leaves the screen as Anna Battista, Italy's hottest (okay ), multi-award-winning (ouch !) starlet of the day. So far, so self-indulgent. Detractors will however find it difficult to make accusations of rampant narcissism stick when Argento goes out of her way to paint herself as a hump anything slut, unrepentant substance abuser and borderline psycho ! Struggling to realize her pet project, the titular SCARLET DIVA, Anna has to contend with a randy US producer (beefing up the film's comedy quota), a fawning if clueless agent and a pair of pan-sexual photographers who nearly get her killed when they dope her up on Special K (no, not the breakfast cereal !) as a prelude to carnal liberties. Watch out for big-breasted pasta porn princess Selen (from Joe D'Amato's terrific RAW AND NAKED) as one of Anna's one night stands making a lusty pit stop on her way to the airport.
Vivid snapshots from the everyday life of a media darling make for an engaging if inevitably episodic film, pulled together in its second half by the injection of a one-sided love story between Anna and a self-important, platitude-spewing performance artist. This guy's an obvious fraud to anyone but our blinded heroine who insists on creating her own illogical happily ever after when life won't grant her as much. The line between Anna and Asia fades away for a haunting, unabashedly kitsch-flavored ending as Argento's creative mind takes action, bending the turn of events so that the protagonist achieves not only romantic bliss but in a nose-thumbing move to the lady's naysayers near-canonization in the process !