Next session: No more, but streaming on Mubi
Program: here

Content warning: sexual assault

Shiva Baby was one of the best movies I’ve seen at AFF over recent years, so I was Ready to see one of Rachel Sennott’s newest films, I Used to be Funny. Sam Cowell is a stand up comic who, to put it lightly, is not doing well. She’s still dealing with the repercussions of sexual assault and the legal case that followed, both in her brain and in the world. This is all made worse by her recent aggressive interaction with 14-year-old Brooke, her former babysittee, who has now gone missing. The movie starts here.

The narrative jumps back and forth in time, taking the viewer on a journey through Sam’s mind as she grapples with what has happened to her. We don’t know the full story until she is unwilling to remember it, and it is not until the climax when she is forced to reckon with her experience. This works well, giving us just enough to understand the seriousness of her experience and the importance of her relationship with Brooke for both characters until we’re taken all the way back. It is through this that the movie deals sensitively with sexual assault and rape, exploring the nuance of the issue from multiple perspectives – both close to the victim and the perpetrator.

The references are absolute fire, hitting every current trend and reference from contemporary youth pop culture. It was funny to watch in October 2023, but it will be interesting to see how such a product of its time like this will age. And finally, Rachel Sennott is, of course, the absolute star of the show. She has such a fantastic sense of comedic timing which can just as easily turn into the raw emotions that are wracking her character. I will continue to watch everything she is in.

I Used to Be Funny isn’t the sort of movie one might think worth seeing on the big screen. It’s shot well and the production is fine, but it’s not a particularly stylistic movie. But there really is something special about watching a movie like this in a crowded cinema. Peoples laughs, gasps, and applause continuing to remind me of how special films and cinemas can be.

4 stars