STARS (Film Review)
World Domination Pictures.
9/10
Based in New York’s desperate underbelly, Mars Roberge’s ‘Stars’ is the intertwined tale of prostitution, drugs, second chances, hope and undercover police. The x-raying of hostel life and the long-lasting effects of being viewed as worthless by the majority of society while they create their own tier system, famous names and, at times, toxic support group. ‘Stars’ just pulls you in and is a laudable yet painfully telling watch. The conversations between the women seem so futile and heartbreaking that you can touch the hopelessness in their voices, and their expressions penetrate your mind.
Their film’s raw emotion floats away into the Big (rotten) Apple’s smoke, and noise as humans become statistics while the world around them turns away, blinkered by their own lives and issues. This is not a film for the faint-hearted, and much like Scumbag and Mister Sister, it gets right under the fingernails and infected scabs of the fringes of society. The powerful scene between a shopkeeper selling lottery tickets and the alcoholic gambling addict Opra, IMHO, holds the key. Stark reality breezes in and out while never leaving the dialogue, and the film is also beautifully bookmarked by Coby Koehl’s stunning vocal performance on ‘Streets’. The materialistic illusions of power and happiness through wealth eventually envelopes the essence of ‘Stars’ as the gap between their sidewalk territory, and a Manhattan penthouse is, as always, only six simple numbers away.
For more ‘Stars’ information, head over to https://www.facebook.com/Starsthefilm