Act 3 review
Telluride film festivalChristine Molloy and Joe Lawlor’s absorbing documentary is a parallel take on their relationship and a nascent drama on artists Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore
TL;DR
- Christine Molloy and Joe Lawlor, Irish artists and filmmakers, create psychological dramas and essay movies exploring history and identity.
- Their new film, "Act 3," is a personal, stylized documentary featuring a self-aware dialogue between the couple about their lives and their planned film about artists Lucy Schwob (Claude Cahun) and Suzanne Malherbe (Marcel Moore).
- The film delves into the lives of Cahun and Moore, genderqueer lovers and artists who styled themselves with masculine names, were involved in anti-Nazi activism, and lived in occupied Jersey.
- Molloy and Lawlor use the funding difficulties for their Cahun and Moore film, specifically concerning its third act, as a catalyst to muse on their own "third act" in life.
- The documentary juxtaposes their current dialogue with past video material, including a visit to Joe's brother in Thailand, and revisits the themes of trauma and identity explored in their film "Mister John."
- The film is described as an austere experience with opaque personalities on screen, yet possesses a richness and maturity that is absorbing, finding artistic energy in the gap between the filmmakers and their subjects.