I was scrolling through TikTok some days ago what I came across an edit of this movie I'm about to review. I was so awed by what was portrayed in the edit but like other awesome edits I've come across on that app, I scrolled past it. It wasn't until few days after, I met somebody and we both decided to exchange movies. This particular movie was among those she gave me and it felt like the universe wanted me to watch it by all means. I watched Cruella, a 2021 American revenge drama and here's my review on it.
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Estella, is an extremely smart, stubborn, aspiring fashion designer and unique young girl. When she is withdrawn/expelled from school after having fought with a student, and found atop, her mother decides they must leave the vicinity. Although they decide to go to Regency Park first, her mom seems to have another plan. They drive to a hall like mansion and her mom instructs her not to leave the car while she goes talk to a woman. Being who she is, Estella is attracted to something outside and leaves the car, entering the hall where a fashion show seems to be going on. Following her unauthorized entry into the party, dogs are called on her. The chase anyway, ended worse than you, I and Estella could have imagined. A chase that changes everything.
Baroness is a well established fashion designer who has dominated a fashion world for a long long time. When Estella's friends gift her an offer of employment at a fashion store, following her dream of being a fashion designer, she finds herself at the mercy of her insensitive boss. Exhausted and drunk one day, she remakes a fashion piece into a dramatic dress which catches the fancy of Baroness who then employs her. But working with Baroness means unraveling truths about her own self. Is she ready for it?
Please, I'm going to be as brief as possible because I'm way behind my bedtime schedule for the week but I really want to do this. So, shall we? There's just something about plots like these that just does it for me. Plots where everything is about the main characters being dramatic and doing everything more than they normally should. It's so fun. Maybe it's that part of me that is a lover of fantasy, and devours anything related to the genre, that loves it but the truth is I enjoy watching dramas like this. And this, was a delight for me. The characters went to the extreme in their actions and I loved it.
Emma Stone (Estella) for one is an exceptional actress. I so much loved her acting in this drama. The switch from Estella to Cruella was iconic. The accent, the look, and her actions were my favourite. I think I loved her Cruella persona more than I did Estella. There was a way she said 'Cruella Devil', that elicited a smile from me each time she said it. She bodied her villain era as Cruella so well and I enjoyed seeing her do it.
Then, there was also Emma Thompson (Baroness). There's this way she angled her neck that gave her this haughty appearance, and I laughed everytime she tried masking her pleasure and satisfaction at Estella's work, and at the same time, trying to keep her head high. It was hilarious. Her expressions also were worthy. The mouth twitches, the hand fanning, everything, I loved it.
This is a movie I'd recommend to someone looking for a light themed drama to watch, on a hot afternoon or after a stressful day. Although there were plot twists, they aren't the kinds that would turn everything you've watched from the beginning upside down. The twists just helped you understand it better. The cinematography, the costumes, the pacing? I loved everything
Watching this film was really satisfying and you know that stuff that happens when you finally get to know something, you then begin to see it everywhere and it seems like the thing is following you around, that's what this film has been doing to me since I watched it. I've been seeing the name in comments, tags, videos on different social media platforms and now that I've watched the movie, I get it. Cruella is hands down, a masterpiece.
I'll rate this movie a 8.5/10. A satisfying revenge it was. YOU should watch it too.
Thanks for reading.
Unsourced image is mine.