LADYWORLD (2019)

Starring Ariela Barer, Annalise Basso, Ryan Simpkins, Odessa Adlon, Maya Hawke, and Tatsumi Romano

Directed by Amanda Kramer

Written by Amanda Kramer and Benjamin Shearn

Distributed by Cleopatra Entertainment. 93 minutes. Opens Friday, August 2nd at Arena Cinelounge Hollywood and VOD release Tuesday, August 27th.

We see nothing but black accompanied by the sounds of rumbling, shattering, and screaming: this is how we are introduced to the unsettling, unnerving state that is Ladyworld. What starts as a birthday party is quickly derailed as an earthquake hits and takes the majority of the house underground, trapping the eight girls inside with no idea of when, or if, they’ll be rescued. This all-female adaptation of Lord of the Flies, directed masterfully by Amanda Kramer, takes the novel’s powerful themes about the corruption of power and the human struggle between civilization and savagery and applies them to teenage girls giving a new perspective on the all-male novel.  

The struggle for power between the girls is punctuated in-between moments of dread and unease. Each character is given many opportunities for reflection as they continue to fall into a paranoid state of mind and lose their false pretenses; growing into the beasts that lay dormant inside them. Like the “beast” in Lord of the Flies, the girls believe they are fearful of a strange man who is trapped in the house with them, but find it’s what they have developed into that they should fear.

Olivia (Ariela Barer) and Piper (Annalise Basso) show the polar oppositions during this event as the former struggles to maintain order and civility, while the latter quickly slips into savagery and uses a mob-mentality to garner followers. Both actors give strong performances and have the audience wondering how this group became friends.

Ladyworld uses the female perspective from its writers and director to capture feminine relationships and the intricacies within them. One of my favorite moments between Barer and Basso is when they are discussing why girls never really like one another. Piper has been told by her mother that it’s because girls are too competitive with one another and Olivia responds in disbelief saying, “Who? You and your mom?” Olivia then shares that her step-father told her it’s because girls just want a boy’s approval. I appreciate the way the writers highlight the many people in women’s lives who try to impress upon them what women need to value while continuing the negative rivalry between our gender and our own selves. The film does excellent work exploring how women react to morality and immorality through the harsh reality they live in, and how they struggle to remain friends.

There are many instances where Ladyworld expertly captures the tension of being trapped with no end in sight with the uncomfortable realness of female friendships being put to the test. Every actor gives a performance that plays with the dread of their situation and the rising tension as the factions grow and their true selves start to take over. It works because the viewer never feels safe. Ladyworld challenges its audience as it shows the true horror that can come when individuals want to feel in control, and when chaos is the only way to maintain that control.