Factory Girl

Filmed mostly in Shreveport, Factory Girl seems most interesting when thought about in terms of its extremely postmodern sensibility. Whether purposeful or not (critics seem to argue the latter), the film’s style, somewhat moreso than its content, quickly turns it into a very self-reflexive, self-referential text. The surface of the film is important to its interpretation and to the histories of the people it represents. The lives of its title character, Edie Sedgwick, and her idol/friend Andy Warhol are played out as their eccentric relationship blossoms and deconstructs. Switching back and forth from regular film to super 8-looking film, black and white to color, the film itself reflects much of the stylistic excess embraced by Andy Warhol and the characters whose only home was The Factory. The somewhat hokey dialogue in parts, the use of split screen technology, and the exceedingly surfacey feel all highlight the life and times of the film’s main characters.

Though overtly narrative and somewhat fictionalized, the film also feels like one part documentary and one part experimental in its challenging of the conventional tragic biopic. Some argue that it is very difficult to identify with any of the characters in the film, especially Edie. It tells the story of Sedgwick from trite, rich girl, art student to superstar fashion icon and muse of Andy Warhol to desperate, rejected, and penniless drug addict. The lack of sugarcoating makes some viewers feel as though the film alienates its characters, but any knowledge of the underground scene in New York of the time will testify to the honest (though a bit historically two-dimensional) lives of its characters.

In the end, I think criticism of this film relies heavily on the mindset in which one watches it. This is not the movie to watch if you want a happy little tale with a happy little ending. Instead, the film is brutally honest and up-front about Edie’s life and addiction (though, as always, some liberties were taken), and does not try to force the viewer into siding with her in the midst of her downfall. Overall, I felt sympathy for Sienna Miller’s Sedgwick and also at times for Guy Pearce’s Warhol who seems to be one of the many to blame for Edie’s disastrous end. So, see the film for yourself, don’t take to heart all the harsh criticism it has received, and make your own judgment. Don’t go see an “arthouse” tragedy film and expect something like Dreamgirls or Ray. Don’t listen to me though, I just have a soft spot for controversy and drug addicts…