![]() ![]() ![]() The way these things taste and feel, or the way they are made, are not particularly important, but the names seem to mean everything. With the first client, it’s a tasting menu with wine pairings at Blue Hill after a screening of Man on Wire, before she describes the Michael Kors and La Perla fashions she sports for the second one, it’s dinner at Nobu and a bottle of Macallan 25, set against her Kiki de Montparnasse corset with gloves to match. When reading off her diary entries, Chelsea makes a point of highlighting the kinds of clothing and lingerie she wears, and the drinks and food that her clients prefer. In terms of dialogue, which was written by Billions co-creators Brian Koppelman and David Levein, there is a stress on brand names and the luxury that money affords. When speaking with the journalist, she’s asked about whether or not anyone is interested in the real version of herself, a question she essentially blows off until the very end of the film. In each situation, the tone of the exchanges and delivery is notably different, the rhythm and selection of words changing with whom Chelsea perceives she must become for her partner in that moment. The film, which is cut into a non-linear hash of happenings, bounces from a voice-over reading of a diary of Chelsea’s encounters, intimate conversations with her boyfriend, a colleague, an escort critic, and her clients, business discussions, and an interview with a deeply fascinated journalist. What Soderbergh highlights instead is the variety of performances Chelsea juggles, utilizing a myriad of storytelling devices that make her an ideal symbol not only for film and TV actresses but for the filmmaker as well. That’s the fiscal backbone of the character but it’s barely brought up in the dialogue, aside from one scene with a sleazy investment advisor. The drive of Grey’s character, who goes by the name of Chelsea, is to make more money and eventually open an upscale Manhattan boutique. ![]()
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January 2023
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