Scarlet Diva

Although I have to admit, I watched this movie largely out of the prurient interest of seeing Dario Argento's lovely daughter naked and engaging in (reportedly unsimulated) sex scenes, I was genuinely surprised at how good this movie was. While Asia A. has said in various interviews that as a director she has been most influenced by her father, on one hand, and maverick NYC auteur Abel Ferrara, on the other, she demonstrates here, in her directorial-debut, a personal warmth and emotional honesty that is generally absent in the stylistic excesses of the former and usually lost in the sheer pathos of the latter. True, the movie does straddle and (occasionally crosses)the thin line between personal and self-indulgent, but generally it is a moving, semi-autobiographical story of a young woman who has had to, as Lou Reed, once put it "grow up in public". Strangely, the movie isn't really that erotic. One of the most memorable scenes, typical of the movie as whole, has the director/actress completely naked, shaving her armpits in the mirror. While she looks great, of course, there's nothing really sexy or contrived about this scene. She's just a normal girl, totally unself-conscious, going through a morning routine. Asia A. has been often treated by the tabloid press as an Italian version of Paris Hilton or some other scandal queen, but what she may very well turn out to be is another Sofia Coppola, emerging from the shadow of past scandals and a famous father to become a respected artist in her own right.

Basically, Scarlet Diva, at least in my view, is Asia Argento exorcising some personal demons, most likely from her past and maybe some of her friends. It's the story about a druggy actress and her struggle for normacy/sanity in an insane world. It is a very personal film filled with episodes from Argento's past, at least you get that impression. It's a good film and is not the shockfest that it has been portrayed as. Worth a see.

Scarlet Diva (2000)

** (out of 4)

Anna Battista (Asia Argento) is an Italian actress whose dream it is to direct but she runs into one wall after another on her self destructive path filled with sex and drugs.

SCARLET DIVA not only stars Argento but she also wrote and directed the picture, which most will see as a movie about herself. Through various interviews and even the commentary track it's hard to follow what in the movie is based on her of if any of it really is. As far as the film goes, in all honesty there's really nothing great or bad about it and it's pretty much an average film.

I think the best thing about the picture was Argento the actress as she certainly gives it her all. There are all sorts of drama here from rape scenes to bizarre drug trips and even some heavy drama. Argento does a good job in the acting department and she certainly helps keep the movie going along. The supporting players are all nice as well including Daria Nicolodi who plays the mother.

The biggest issue I have with the film is that it seems Argento is wanting to say a lot but nothing really comes out of the film. I'm sure there was some sort of deep or personal meaning that Argento wanted to get out but whatever it is remains pretty still. I'm sure people could watch this and draw their own conclusions but I found the film to be somewhat of a mess in the story department.

The film features quite a bit of sex, nudity and drugs but it's really not shocking or too daring. If you're a fan of Argento you'll certainly want to watch it for her but there's nothing overly special here.

It's not a great movie by any stretch of the imagination. The acting is poor to OK, the idea it's recorded on digital video dosen't help though. Some truly great ideas are presented, a shaving scene is very well preformed. The film is very personal, and artistic, but more like a diary of fantasy not a great diary like Anne Frank's. I would suggest to see it but don't buy it. Their is no real reason to watch it again. Their is a little sex but not as much as it looks like. It is dark but again no where near as dark as it looks. And it is serious and tries to be intelligent but it really isn't at all. Asia makes lame attempts to include Godard like pictures, and out the window type shooting but it fails to be interesting. It's really a great attempt and a good try but it's not enjoyable or different enough to be interesting for two hours. I'm not saying it would be better as a porno but the cover and reviews would make one assume that it is dark and sexual and it really isn't. Its kind of a cheap girl on the verge movie.

Though she does seem very brave to sacrifice herself to the camera so exposed as she does. a scene includes her and black man being interrupted in a trailer that keeps her from getting off. She's wearing all black and net stockings. That's the kind of sexual danger, curiosity, type film I expected. Also a scene where she finds her friend tied up. But these scenes are very very short.

It could have been great if it had maybe taken a stronger direction into a serious world of sex, violence and drugs like Blue Velvet or irreversible. But it's not. Don't buy it, i did and I'm kind of stuck with it. Asia is great but she isn't as intelligent or as interesting as the angel tattoo flying out of pants and too bad because that's really cool.

Scarlet Diva is Asia Argento's first serious attempt at directing a feature-length movie after a brief but successful acting career. It tells the story of Anna Battista and her first serious attempt at directing a feature-length movie after a brief but successful acting career. Sounds like another example of every debut film turning out autobiographical and, in most cases, pretentious and self-indulgent? Yes indeed, Scarlet Diva is all of these.

25-year-old Asia Argento learnt her trade on set with her father, Dario Argento, Italy's very own horror-film specialist. Having starred in many of her dad's gore-fests – but also in more mainstream films like La Reine Margot or last year's B. Monkey – she is now out to make a name for herself in the writing/directing business. While she comes a cropper in the writing department (the story is very simple, and some of the dialogue is excruciatingly self-important), it has to be said that the film has style, of a kind. Its use of video footage, the fast editing and the pumping soundtrack go some way towards deflecting attention from both the miserable script and the inept cast. Apart, that is, from Ms Argento herself who, in the title role as Anna Battista aka Scarlet Diva, somehow manages to keep her head above water as the rest of one of the worst acting ensembles for some time (the scenes in Los Angeles are especially bad) go under and stay under.

In both form and content, there are parallels between Scarlet Diva and Baise-moi, the French scandal-film par excellence. We are given (relatively) graphic rape scenes, a whole sex-drugs-and-rock ‘n roll attitude, and the main character(s) portrayed as victim(s) of the system (in this case the movie production system). Although any comparison with a thoroughly distasteful product like Baise-moi may well have put you off giving the film a chance, not everything about Scarlet Diva is wholly bad. The improvised home-movie style gives the film a pacey and refreshingly amateurish feel that is pretty rare in cinema nowadays. But even that faint praise cannot make up for the sheer pretentiousness and exhibitionism that Asia Argento treats herself to. And there's some dodgy religious imagery to boot. A little more subtlety would certainly have done a lot to improve this film, a film incidentally that would never have seen the light of day had the leading lady not received some timely financial help from daddy and his associates.

A typical debut film, then, from a first-time director, but still interesting enough, if only for us diehard film fans and for any wannabe anarchists out there.