“Beauty Queen” is an 18-minute short written and directed by Nicholas Goodwin about beauty and what’s important. The film opens with a powerful question, yet one that we don’t hear often in high school classrooms – “Is it better to be pretty or smart?” Questions, for sure, aimed at women more than men, if they are asked of men at all. Must we choose one or the other? Can we be both? Can our perfections be looked at more than our imperfections? These are the questions “Beauty Queen” seeks to ask; and, although truncated and terse, it does a fairly adequate job at providing solid answers.
While less than 20 minutes, “Beauty Queen” is wide-sweeping, touching on subjects from achievement, insecurity, opportunity, and self esteem. Its crowing achievement is that its star, a beautiful woman named Christina (Christina Goursky), is a real person – one who is awed and thrilled at her scholastic accomplishments (she has, among other things, gained college acceptance into esteemed Sarah Lawerence), but wonders what it would be like to be deemed “beautiful.” She quickly answers the question in her high school class that she would rather be though of as smart than pretty; but a boy’s attention drifting away from her and toward a girl with a plethora of photo shoots on Facebook makes her think twice.
The fact that Christina has an objective beauty matters not; she doesn’t have what this girl has, and sends her on a journey that leads to a photo shoot with a demanding and abusive photographer, and heart-to-hearts with her loving father (Timothy Cox), among other things.
Visually, “Beauty Queen” is stunning, a credit to the cinematographer Marcus Johnson who makes some interesting decisions with the film’s photography. Brightly-lit interiors line the high school scenes and morning coffee between Christina and her father, while the photo shoot and another scene between Christina and her father are ensconced in darkness. There’s something to the shots, I feel. Christina’s brightness shines when she feels the best about herself, and dims when she starts to doubt this. The photographer, Sebastian (James Jelkin in a domineering yet predictable performance) asks things of Christina that go against her comfort level and shows no empathy towards her shyness. This is juxtaposed with other girls in a more on-the-level modeling opportunity that Christina is rejected from for not possessing the right traits to “make it” as a model.
What works about “Beauty Queen” is that it is an exercise in forced introspection. Clearly men and women will glean something different from its message; but, due to its writing, acting, and filmmaking, it makes you ponder nonetheless. It makes you think about beauty, about standards, double standards, personal fulfillment, and acceptance. Watching it I couldn’t help but think about the thoughts that ran through my head when I think about my own self image, as well as they way I thought of myself during the cusp of my adolescence. It also made me evaluate my standards of beauty and think of things from the other side of the isle. Perhaps that’s the word that’s escaping me – empathy. “Beauty Queen” encourages and facilitates empathy, insomuch as you are willing to let it.
The acting is apt and believable. Most of the film requires a shy, timid, physical performance from Goursky, and she delivers. I think its a credit to the script and the filmmaking that she appears the most beautiful when she’s embracing her intelligence or smiling wide-eyed over her college acceptance, and reserved, protected, and guarded when she attempts to be overtly “beautiful.” She crosses her arms in protection during a photo shoot as she attempts to show off her beauty. But, sitting on the stairs inside her high school, garbed in a hoodie, sneaks, and jeans is where her beauty really shines.
The other players do well. As her father, Timothy Cox is likable and sage, while not coming off pedantic or stilted. He and Goursky don’t have a terrific amount of chemistry, but their time together is short, and the film is more interested in her personal discovery than their relationship. An additional actor, Jordan Gaches who plays a fellow student Josh, rounds out the cast.
A comment is necessary on the film’s soundtrack, which seems in places low or inaudible. Voices hide behind the film’s songs, which play loud and forceful. The sound effects and dialogue are hard to pick up, which detracted some from the experience. This writer watched the film on YouTube in HD, and cannot be sure if this is an isolated experience or a problem with the soundtrack itself.
All in all “Beauty Queen” is a good film. It’s introspective, filmed crisply, has good production value, and makes you think. In a world consumed with beauty, it’s nice to have a film make us ponder its meaning, if only for a second. Its ending is expected, but in no way subtracts from the film. A meaningful picture that, while perhaps too short, is shot well and contains a positive message. We could all use a little more of that these days.
-by Mark Ziobro
