The Staggering Girl (2019)

This week we’re back to short films again for Mubi Monday. At least, well, that’s what I thought I was going to watch when I hit play on…The Staggering Girl (2019).

Title: The Staggering Girl

Director: Luca Guadagnino

Runtime: 37 minutes

Released: May 17, 2019 (Cannes Directors’ Fortnight)

Available on: Mubi

As you all know, I try to go into each viewing for the blog knowing as little as possible about what I’m about to watch. Well, sometimes that can lead to a frustrating experience. Case in point, The Staggering Girl (2019).

Francesca (Julianne Moore) is a writer who travels from New York to Rome to help care for her mother, Sofia (Mia Goth/Marthe Keller), who herself is an artist. When in Rome, Francesca finds herself having to face ghosts of her past. Ghosts that present themselves through Sofia’s artwork.

Sounds like it could be pretty interesting, right? Especially with a cast that, in addition to those three heavy hitters, also includes Kyle MacLachlan and KiKi Layne.

Unfortunately, that isn’t the case, at all.

It’s not that any of the performances are bad, not by any means. Rather, it is that nothing ever goes anywhere. All filler, just a bunch of stylishly dressed people occupying space.

And then the end credits roll…

I was duped!

This wasn’t a short film at all. Well, in the literal sense I suppose you could say it fits the bill.

What we really have here is an extended ad for Valentino and their 2017/2018 collections.

Well, that explains why everyone looked so stylishly dressed.

And yet, despite sitting through a 37-minute fashion ad, I wasn’t completely enraged. Between the cinematography and the costume design, this is a visually captivating watch. Unfortunately, that’s the best I can say about The Staggering Girl (2019).

If you’ve seen The Staggering Girl (2019), let me know what you thought of it in the comments below or by reaching out to me on social media!

Curious to see what else I’ve been watching? Follow me over on Letterboxd!