SHIRLEY: FILM REVIEW

I’ve long argued that Elisabeth Moss should be considered one of the greatest actresses of this decade. While much of her work involves television series, most notably Mad Men and Handmaid’s Tale, she has engaged in nothing but stellar performances in movies such as The Square, The Invisible Man, and most recently, Shirley. However, even her roles in television are advanced and difficult to execute; not everyone can embody the development of Peggy Olson and Offred as Elisabeth Moss can. Similarly, Elisabeth Moss’ portrayal of the horror writer Shirley Jackson in Shirley is what ultimately advances this film from great to daring. It’s incredible — Moss consumes Jackson’s messy bun, alcoholic tendencies, and depressive moods as second nature.

Shirley is based on Susan Scarf Merrell’s novel Shirley, which told a fictional story of real-life horror writer Shirley Jackson and her husband Stanley Hyman. In the film and novel, Stanley’s new teaching assistant, Fred, and Fred’s wife, Rose, come to live with them in North Bennington. Shirley plays out the dynamics between Shirley, Stanley, Fred, and Rose, as the four subside under the same roof, eat dinner together, and participate in academia. Throughout the course of the film, Shirley’s consummation with writing becomes overwhelming as she ropes Rose into a new novel she hopes to write about the disappearance of a local girl named Paula. Shirley’s imagination of…