If John Waters and Werner Fassbender had co-directed WEST SIDE STORY it might resemble Amanda Kramer’s outrageously flamboyant PLEASE BABY PLEASE, with its hyper-stylized, neon-drenched 1950s Manhattan decors and theatrical feel. When newlyweds Suse (Andrea Risborough, THE GRUDGE, OBLIVION) and Arthur (Harry Melling, the HARRY POTTER film series) witness a brutal attack in front of their apartment building by the dancing, finger-snapping, roaming greaser gang “The Young Gents,” buried feelings of sexual identity are awakened. Arthur’s attraction to the Brando-esque, leather-jacket clad Teddy (Karl Glusman), the drop-dead gorgeous leader of the Gents, is immediate – and mutual. For Suse, secretly thrilled by the macho violence she’s witnessed, a chance encounter with Maureen, the couple’s upstairs neighbor, a mysterious femme fatale and free spirit (a sensational Demi Moore), emboldens her to turn her S&M dreams into reality. The swagger and swish of traditional gender boundaries are pushed in this jaw-dropping film (complete with musical numbers) which, at its heart, as Variety raved, “is an ebullient, campy thrill ride.”
Getting there
Landmark Century Centre Cinema
2828 N Clark,
Chicago,
IL