MOVIE GUIDE: THE LAST SHOWGIRL (2024)
The Film gene runs deep in this family and Francis Ford Coppola’a granddaughter, Gia is the latest member of the esteemed family to shine in her own right with her latest movie, “The Last Showgirl”. Gia’s fourth film takes an unflinching look at a lesser known side of the make believe adult playground that is Las Vegas. Shelly (played flawlessly by Pamela Anderson) is an aging showgirl who sees her world begin to crumble after she’s informed,that the show she’s been part of for 30 years, is coming to an end.
The dancer’s intimate journey is filled with grief, uncertainty and fear, and Coppola’s approach is raw, pure…intimately close to her subject. Gia, along with her magnificent DP, Autumn Durald Arkapaw (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, Sinners) embarks on this cinematic adventure with a bold creative bravado. She chooses to shoot on 16mm film stock but with a twist, she adapts anamorphic lenses to the cameras in order to create a unique visual experience marked by grainy colors, rugged textures and blurred corners (effect of the anamorphic lenses) that follow Shelly’s struggles and final performances up close and in a “au naturale” way.
Gia spares us the glitzy façade of Las Vegas in favor of a more intimate portrayal where true feelings are the real stars - not the lavish Hotels, not the fake Eiffel Tower, nor the kitschy Casinos. Just an aging woman and her enduring love for dance.
“…I have no regrets. None…”
available on Hulu
