MOMMIE DEAREST (1981) 

• Director: Frank Perry
• Cast: Faye Dunaway, Diana Scarwid, Steve Forrest
• Film: 129mins | USA | Subtitles | Intermission
• Event: 20:45 – 23:15 [18+]

GIRL TRASH: CELEBRATING THE GODDESSES OF EXPLOITATION CINEMA

GIRL TRASH presents the most sparkling of golden raspberries, MOMMIE DEAREST (1981): the film that didn’t (initially) know it was trash.

Glamorous Hollywood icon Joan Crawford (played by a maniacal Faye Dunaway) adopts two children, Christina and Christopher, in a bid for a fairytale happy family. But Joan is a controlling perfectionist, and when her fortunes take a turn for the worse – heartbreak, career downturn – the manipulative behaviour she already exhibits towards her daughter Christina (Diana Scarwid) escalates into histrionic abuse. As she scrabbles to cling onto fame, Joan lashes out, with her children bearing the brunt of her desperation.

Originally intended as a serious biopic, MOMMIE DEAREST was adapted from a sensational memoir by Christina Crawford, detailing the abusive childhood she and her adoptive brother suffered at Joan’s hands. Paramount Pictures thought they’d have an Oscars contender on their hands with Faye Dunaway as their leading lady. But with melodramatic script and direction, and Dunaway’s larger-than-life Crawford impersonation, the film became something else altogether.

Its camp savagery and deranged glamour was panned by contemporaneous critics, but MOMMIE DEAREST has since won a cult following among queer audiences. Join us to celebrate GIRL TRASH GODDESS Faye Dunaway, proof that even an Oscar winner can go trash (if they act unhinged enough).

Polite notice: We are projecting MOMMIE DEAREST with subtitles from the best available digital source. The BBFC warns that MOMMIE DEAREST contains scenes of “emotional & physical abuse” and “strong to moderate and mild bad language”, namely ‘f**k’, ‘bitch’, ‘bastards’, ‘Christ’, ‘damn’, ‘God’, ‘goddamn’, ‘shit’ and ‘son of a bitch’. You know you want this.

/// GIRL TRASH celebrates the femme filmmakers of trash and exploitation cinema, hosted by Zodiac Film Club and Token Homo. All films are served with introductions, intermissions, prize giveaways, and subtitles / captions where possible. Tickets from £3.50 + fees. Adults 18+ only. Follow @zodiacfilmclub and @tokenhomo on Instagram for info and updates. Please contact the venue for access information. ///