Clothes+Movies

Last week was the Savannah Film Festival presented by SCAD. Just like last year, I couldn't get tickets for the evening screenings. I really, really wanted to see Like Crazy. It sounds like exactly the kind of movie I would love. And with Felicity Jones being called the new Carey Mulligan, I HAVE to see it. I will probably have the same luck I had with Black Swan: when it opens in the U.S. I'll be in Mexico, and when I come back to the States it will no longer be playing.

Felicity Jones, one of my new style icons,
on the BAFTA red carpet.

Anyway, I did see some other movies like Barry Lyndon and Take Me Home, but my favorite was with no doubt Let Go. This movie tells the story of Walter Dishman, a parole officer in charge of three very particular convicts. The story is a funny combination of heartbreak and hope, and each of the characters has a different struggle and different backgrounds.

The movie's poster, from IMDB.com

But what I loved the most is the way the costume designer gave them a personality through their clothes and appearance in general. Walter is tall and always wears beige clothes, so dull against the bright blue walls of the house he shares with his wife. Darla, who was in jail for trying to sell an engagement ring on e-bay always has bright coral lipstick on; and she always wears beautiful floral dresses. Artie, the 70-year-old-vintage-thief, seems stuck in the 70s and represents the nostalgia of an era through his knit shirts and polyester pants. And finally, there's insurance-fraud Kris who changes clothes as he changes jobs: from a valet parking to a hot-dog costume. (I wish I had images, but they were impossible to find.)

At a Q&A following the movie, director and writer Brian Jett commented no one has offered distribution of the movie. And I really hope he does because it is a wonderful movie. Character-based, funny and endearing.