Stewart’s compelling performance
Seberg (M, 102 mins) Directed by Benedict Andrews Reviewed by James Croot ★★★1⁄2
Jean Dorothy Seberg (Kristen Stewart) had a traumatic introduction to moviemaking. Despite her only previous acting experience being in a summer theatre production, the smalltown Iowa-born teen was chosen by Otto Preminger to headline his 1957 Joan of Arc movie Saint Joan.
The shoot was a nightmare, which left Seberg with more than just scars on her body from a pyrotechnic scene gone awry. ‘‘I was scared like a rabbit and it showed on the screen,’’ Seberg later said, reflecting on the critical roasting she received on the film’s release.
But within three years, she was being hailed as the ‘‘best actress in Europe’’ by French director Francois Truffaut, as Seberg’s turn as Patricia Franchini in Breathless
earned her armies of admirers around the globe.
However, while she enjoyed the status afforded her in France, Seberg was keeping a wary eye on events back home in America.
A passionate supporter of the Civil Rights Movement, she had already donated to the National Association For the Advancement of Coloured People, and Native American school groups, before touching down in the States mid1968 to begin working on western musical Paint Your Wagon.
Even as she arrived on the tarmac, Seberg publicly demonstrated her backing for the radical Black Panther Party.
Despite her agent’s concern that this might put her offside with the press and the public, Seberg pursued a friendship with activist (and Malcolm X’s cousin) Hakim Jamal (Anthony Mackie). Little did she know though, that the FBI were tracking her every movement and, worried about her star power and potentially deep pockets, determined to discredit her and her actions.
As with Australian theatre director Benedict Andrews’ previous outing Una, Seberg is another well-acted drama that offers plenty of food for thought. The costuming is top-notch, and the glorious production design certainly evokes the colourful, yet turbulent era.
Where this comes a little unstuck is in The Aftermath duo Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse’s screenplay.
While their attempt to show the story from both Seberg and the FBI’s side is admirable (mainly via Jack O’Connell’s conflicted soundman), it makes everything feel a little once-over-lightly.
Supporting characters seem rather one-dimensional – Mackie’s Jamal, Vince Vaughn’s lawman and Zazie Beetz’s Dorothy Jamal seem to be disappointing sketches, rather than fully drawn characters.
What Seberg is though is another terrific showcase for the talented Stewart.
Like the actress she plays, the former Twilight star was derided for her early performances, but has since won critics over with her work in films such as Personal Shopper and Still Alice.
Here, she delivers in spades, quite brilliantly conveying the increasing (and justified) paranoia, as she begins to suspect she is being constantly watched and followed.
With her close-cropped hairdo, easy charm and strong convictions, it’s hard not to be drawn to her in every scene.
It’s just a slight pity the story doesn’t quite match the compellingess of her turn.