We Asked Non-Tisch Students to Guess the Plots of New York Film Festival Movies
Based on the posters!
’Tis the season for New York Film Festival. Ah, yes—from September 18 to October 14, as the leaves change and the Pumpkin Spice Latte resumes its throne in the drinks-for-cold-weather hierarchy, you can feel the film hoe-ism in the air.
Though it’s the 56th year NYFF is running, those of us who can’t list every Coen brothers picture still don’t know about it, and they know even less about the indie, quirky movies featured on its main slate, even though many of them star big-name stars and are directed by widely known directors.
I went around and asked non-Tisch students to explain to me what they thought the plot of various NYFF main slate films would be. But here’s the catch: I only showed them the posters for each respective film (featuring the titles), as well as pictures of the actors who are in it (so they could attempt to better gauge the vibe and genre).
This is what I found.
The Favourite
Starring Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, Emma Stone, Nicholas Hoult, and Joe Alwyn
Here’s what NYFF says it’s about…
“The Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz), and her servant (Emma Stone) engage in a sexually charged fight to the death for the body and soul of Queen Anne (Olivia Colman) at the height of the War of Spanish Succession in Yorgos Lanthimos’s wildly intricate and very darkly funny new film.” — via filmlinc.org
And, after seeing nothing but the poster and pictures of the main cast, here’s what NYU students say it’s about…
“It’s either about the royal family having succession issues as they’re trying to produce an heir to succeed the throne, or it’s about peasant/servant kind of help with the royal family, and they have some kind of revolution or uprising against the throne.” —Henry, CAS Class of 2022
“It seems old-timey, like a dated film. I feel like they’re involved with a body of water. The actors in it usually do classic movies, so maybe it’s like a dated love story.” — Mae, CAS Class of 2021
“I think it’s about a queen and the common people in her kingdom.” —Jaehee, CAS Class of 2021
“Well, I’ve only heard of Emma Stone, because of La La Land. But judging from the poster, it looks like there are two people sitting on a crown and they’re pulling something out of the queen’s eye, so maybe…I have no fucking idea. Maybe it’s a metaphor for peasants under royalty. The princess in the crown (or whatever she) is wasn’t originally royalty but the two people on top of her are the ones who turn her into royalty, like The Princess Diaries. I’m assuming one of them is Emma Stone.” —Challen, Stern Class of 2022
At Eternity’s Gate
Starring Willem Dafoe, Rupert Friend, Oscar Isaac, and Mads Mikkelsen
Here’s what IMDb says it’s about…
“A look at the life of painter Vincent van Gogh during the time he lived in Arles and Auvers-sur-Ouise, France.” —via IMDb.com
Pretty simple, right? Well, here’s what NYU students say it’s about…
“[Dafoe] is wearing a Russian hat. He looks like he’s dressed for oppressive, Soviet Union kind of life. There’s a piano in the background, so maybe it’s about people in Stalinist Russia or the USSR and there’s some sort of conflict. Or it’s about growing old and it’s a character driven movie about people growing old in the Soviet Union.” —Henry, CAS Class of 2022
“He looks like he’s wearing some type of Russian headdress, so I assume someone dies in it. Russian Willem Dafoe experiences a death in the family and the movie is about him coping with it.” — Challen, Stern Class of 2022
“Something about Russians. Because of the hat. It’s either about Russia or heaven.” — Alexa, CAS Class of 2019
So it looks like someone needs to talk to At Eternity’s Gate’s marketing team and let them know everyone thinks their movie is about Russians. Trust me, it’s because of the hat.
Roma
Starring Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, and Diego Cortina Autrey
Here’s what NYFF says it’s about…
“In Mexico City in the early 70s, a middle-class family’s center is quietly and unassumingly held by its beloved live-in nanny and housekeeper (Yalitza Aparicio).” —via filmlinc.org
And here’s what NYU students say it’s about…
“This looks like the childrens’ version of Slumdog Millionaire. I see two children of color—actually, maybe they’re caucasian, it’s black and white—but it could be like a bro-version of The Lady and the Tramp except with humans. I don’t know, I’m also feeling a story about kids growing up in the slums and learning to live in said slums.” —Wil, Steinhardt Class of 2022
“I think it’s a coming-of-age story set in Mexico. It’s the coming-of-age story of the two children on the poster.” —Kaitlyn, Gallatin Class of 2019
So far, not too shabby. But these next two movies are where we see why Tisch kids are Tisch kids, and non-Tisch kids aren’t.
The Ballad of Buster Scruggs
Starring James Franco, Liam Neeson, Clancy Brown, and David Krumholtz
Here’s what IMDb says it’s about…
“Follows the story of two trail bosses on the Oregon Trail and a woman on the wagon train who needs the help of one of them and who might be a marriage prospect for the other.” —via IMDb.com
And here’s what NYU students say it’s about…
“It looks like a Western, ’cause I see the horses [on the poster]. James Franco is probably the main character, and he—well, it reminds me of Tarantino. Django Unchained. Are they remaking Django Unchained?” —Challen, Stern Class of 2022
“I feel like every Liam Neeson movie is about a rescue. Maybe some exploration kind of stuff, like they’re trying to find some treasure.” —Jack, Rory Meyers College of Nursing Class of 2019
“I think it’s like an old Western action movie. The three old men [Neeson, Brown, and it’s unclear whether she believes Franco or Krumholtz is older] starring in it are a trio of cowboys and they have to rescue someone.” —Diana, Liberal Studies Class of 2022
Finally, some (somewhat) accurate marketing! Kudos to you, Coen brothers.
And last but not least, we have…
Her Smell
Starring Elisabeth Moss, Cara Delevingne, Dan Stevens, Ashley Benson, and Amber Heard
Here’s what IMDb says it’s about…
“A self-destructive punk rocker struggles with sobriety while trying to recapture the creative inspiration that led her band to success.” —via IMDb.com
And here’s what NYU students say it’s about…
“I don’t know what it’s about, but I’m gonna watch it. It could be about a girl who gives off vapors to attract men, and everyone’s like, Yo, did you see that girl? And they’re like, I don’t know, what did she look like? And they respond like, I don’t know, but her SMELL, dude!” —Challen, Stern Class of 2022
“I think it’s a gossip story where there’s one girl who smells and brings drama to all the other girls, and the other girls talk trash about her smell behind her back. It’s a comedy so it’s funny and relatable, plus all the girls are probably after that one attractive guy in the cast.” —Arty, Steinhardt Class of 2022
“Sex.” — Lorenzo, Liberal Studies Class of 2022
While I myself agree that there are probably components of sex and trash-talking in it, it still remains unclear why, exactly, Elisabeth Moss smells in this film, as well as what kind of aroma she emits.
I suppose that if I really want to find out, and if I want to assert the accuracy of the rest of these claims, I’ll just have to go see these films to find out.
