The “perfect” movie that never fails to make Zoë Kravitz cry: “Every single time”
There are few people as ingrained in Hollywood royalty as Zoe Kravitz, with a lavish lifestyle from day one after being brought into the business by two of the coolest performers in the industry.
But despite the many allegations that are leveraged against those who have built career from nepotistic connections, Kravitz has been working overtime to establish an interesting screen presence that justify the many opportunities flung her way, straying from her career as a model and starring in niche arthouse projects and high-brow blockbusters.
Whether it be her early voicing of Catwoman in the Lego Batman movie, which seemingly foreshadowed her role in the Matt Reeves adaptation of the classic story, or her portrayal of Bonnie in Jean-Marc Vallee’s Big Little Lies, Kravitz has established a diverse and eclectic career that showcases her passion for stories of all ilks and creeds. From her directorial debut, role in the acclaimed High Fidelity remake, to her upcoming collaboration with Darren Aronofsky, Kravitz seems to be on a cinematic roll, only growing in reach as she continues to expand her screen presence.
However, after growing up with weathered cinephiles and performers in her innermost circle, it comes as no surprise that Kravitz has been exposed to the brightest and best of the entertainment world, describing friendships with stars like Prince and memories of watching classic movies that inspired her eventual foray down this path. When sharing these fond memories in the Criterion Closet, she highlighted one film that continues to deeply resonate with her today.
There are few directors who have sparked as much change and creative rebellion as Ridley Scott, with the director forever changing cinema through his immersive storytelling style and knack for visual spectacles. From the moment Alien landed, you could tell Scott didn’t need reams of dialogue to get his point across. He could do it all with the picture itself. That film basically kicked off its own little corner of cinema – all brooding and tense, where the look and the silence did all the heavy lifting.
But this all changed after the release of his 1991 film Thelma and Louise, opting for a more emotionally charged and mature story that centred around the friendship between two women as they escape the mundanity of their daily lives by going on a cross-country road trip.
It sticks out from the bulk of Scott’s work given that the sole focus is the relationship between the central characters and their emotional arc towards finding confidence, autonomy and empowerment, an idea that Scott swiftly abandoned in the remainder of his filmography by opting for high-octane stories and telling them extremely poorly.
This could not be more polar opposite to the heart of Thelma and Louise, which remains as one of his greatest films and a keen favourite for Kravitz, with the actor saying, “Thelma and Louise. This is a perfect movie. I cry every single time, I love both these actors so so much”.
If you don’t get choked up at the final scene in which both women hurl themselves off a cliff after being caught by the police, then you are extremely lacking in humanity, and a scene that puts the film miles above his others in its charm, wit and rebellion.
