Female Trouble (1974)

Female Trouble

• “The world of the heterosexual is a sick and boring one!” That’s going down as one of the all time great cinematic quotes. Not only is it true, but it perfectly encapsulates the mind and style of the irreplaceable John Waters. This is only my second Waters experience, and though I didn’t enjoy this as much as ‘Pink Flamingos’, it’s an insanely good follow up. It’s revolting and gross, and I enjoyed nearly every second of it. I think the best part of it is how it has the same style, shock value, and scumminess (is that a word?) that its predecessor has, yet it has completely new characters and a new story. Waters’ Trash Trilogy isn’t connected by stories or characters, yet they still feel one in the same. His low budget, poor equipment setup creates the perfect atmosphere for these kinds of films, and inspires me greatly. I obviously have better technology than they did back in the 70’s, but I still want to get back into that gritty, grimey look that these films have. The story is wonderfully twisted and Divine delivers a generational performance. I’ve only seen him in two films so far, and already he’s one of the most iconic queer actors I’ve ever gotten the privilege to watch. The Waters/Divine duo is going down as one of the greatest team ups in cinema history. They read each other so well and Waters knows exactly how to utilize Divine’s talents. I would give anything to be able to sit down with both of them and discuss their film techniques and their lives. Everything else about this film is just gorgeous, from the crazy hairstyles, the vivid costumes, the over-the-top makeup, and the practical effects and fake blood. It’s that kind of stuff that somehow makes a film even more disturbing than if they used more realistic looking props/costumes/effects. Overall, this is a terrifically provocative film, and I’m "desperate" to get to the next one in the Trash Trilogy (hahaha I made a joke). I would recommend this to all fans of black comedy/crime. This film is officially Berry Approved, so go watch it now!