Her Smell (Film Review)

2019 Gunpowder & Sky
Written and Directed by: Alex Ross Perry
Starring: Elisabeth Moss, Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens, Agyness Deyn, Gayle Rankin, Ashley Benson, Dylan Gelula, Virginia Madsen, and Amber Heard
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time: 135 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 7/10

Becky Something is insufferable. Becky's grunge/punk band, Something She, made waves years ago, but now Becky, a mentally-ill addict, can't get out of her own way. She only seems capable of antagonizing everyone around her, as the shows get smaller, and the songwriting slows from a waterfall to a trickle. As Becky slowly drives away her bandmates, friends, and family, it's unclear if there's anything in her worth redeeming.
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Some movies are better than the sum of their parts, but there are some with one part that's far better than anything else the rest has to offer. Elizabeth Moss' hyper-kinetic, shot-out-of-a-cannon performance in 2019's Her Smell stands far above any other aspect of the film. Alex Ross Perry's tale of attempted redemption is rather innovatively broken into only five scene across 135 minutes, but those scenes often feel overwhelmingly small. The scenes around Becky's band feel staged, and Perry doesn't do a great job at making Something She's unseen rise to fame feel believable. However, Perry's specific writing for Moss is excellent, and Moss' interpretation of the Becky character is unbelievably good. Moss is mesmerizing, terrifying, other-worldly in her intense energy. Her work here is incredible.
But this film isn't. Her Smell has its moments, but continuously feel slight. That's a shame--Moss' performance is so good, Perry wrote an open letter urging award shows to take note of her work here. He's right. If there's been a better performance in a film since Y2K, I haven't seen it.