Stuck!

Stuck! is not a camp fest. Thank God. There are a zillion campy movies about women in prison. Camp is one of the easiest things in the world to produce. This movie is about character, mood, composition and craftsmanship. It is a visual poem. All the actresses are incredible and create 3 dimensional women in a genre known for 1 dimensional cut outs. Actually, Stuck! is not a part of the women in prison genre. It feels more like the hard boiled noir dramas of the 40s and 50s but with a European art cinema vibe. The metaphor of being Stuck! permeates every frame. I'm not a writer. I just know what I like. So many films to review. But I think this is one of those films that will be rediscovered down the road. Daisy is the innocent victim. She lands in jail. She shares death row with Dutch, a bisexual prostitute; Esther, a Bible-thumping zealot; MiMi, a black widow; and Princess, a broken little baby killer. A bitch of a prison guard called, Amazon, emotionally abuses the women. The neighbor lady who witnesses Daisy's "crime" slowly dissolves under the weight of her own guilt. The way this all plays out is incredible to watch: suspenseful, uplifting, terrifying, heartbreaking...and so much more. It is a movie about women and oppression. About justice and our propensity to disregard the truth in favor of what is easy. Stuck! will stick with you. I'm still reeling...