Factory Girl
A biopic based on the life of Edie Sedgwick.
Andy Warhol. Pop Art Icon. Artist Extraordinaire. A-hole. The last one is an epithet you bestow upon him only after watching George Hickenlooper’s “Factory Girl,” a movie that will dazzle you, shock you, move you, and pretty much suck the emotion out of you, as all good movies do.
“Factory Girl” is not your regular Hollywood movie. First of all, it’s an indie, riddled with controversy during its release because of the negative light in which it portrays Andy Warhol and Bob Dylan, a light that may not be entirely fair. Historically therefore, “Factory Girl” may be riddled with inaccuracies, but as a movie it hits all the right spots. It makes you root for Edie Sedgwick, the lead character, played by a searing Sienna Miller, as you watch her pitch the perfect “poor little rich girl” act.
Edie Sedgwick was one of Andy Warhol’s “superstars,” whose trainwreck of a life was observed by the world with morbid fascination, not unlike the media’s recent obsession with a rapidly unraveling Britney Spears. “Factory Girl” tries to capture the essence of her existence.
The movie starts of with a naïve, young Edie graduating from college with dreams in her eyes. A friend, Chuck Wein, played by an out-of-place Jimmy Fallon, introduces her to Andy Warhol, played by Guy Pearce. The two of them develop an instant rapport, and Warhol ends up making her his latest muse, his brand new “superstar.”
We watch Sedgwick “act” in Warhol’s numerous underground productions, rise up the charts of popularity, slowly blow her inheritance off on drugs and partying, and get embroiled in a torrid affair with one "Billy Quinn," the Bob Dylan character played by Hayden Christensen. We watch Sedgwick slowly self-destruct, and we can’t stop.
The style and aesthetic employed by the director has often been accused of not being true to the era, and while that may be true, it still captures the mood of the story accurately. Dark and sepia-toned, “Factory Girl” overwhelms your senses with its despair and dark overtones. Sienna Miller’s portrayal of Edie Sedgwick is heart-rending, while Guy Pearce assumes the role of the villain with great skill.
“Factory Girl” is not a happy movie, but it is a pretty good one and it deserves to be seen for the lead character’s performances, if nothing else.
Written by: Anuya Jakatdar
Reviewers Rating: 7
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Added: 10-Jun-2009
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