The film’s examination of the power of being seen, and specifically being understood through the act of being seen, is most effective in three mirrore...
“What’s the question?” Sheryl asks. “Which one of you will hurt me?” the woman answers. This question remains at the heart of Kendrick’s film, as it d...
As the game show wraps, Sheryl asks if she went too far in changing the questions, effectively turning the whole misogynistic enterprise on its head. ...
Every woman in Kendrick’s film has a moment where she must play “nice” to get through a situation. Sheryl has to navigate this kind of performance man...
“Did you feel seen?” he asks. The camera frames both in close-ups, framing the conversation as a duel. “I felt looked at,” she admits. “How do you fee...
Later in the film, Alcala and Sheryl go out for drinks. The date is not going well. Sheryl’s laughter has caused a change in the seemingly charming ba...
When he shifts to predator mode, an overwhelming cruelty overtakes his eyes. Kendrick holds on his face, allowing the shift to happen before our eyes,...
The first image of her is framed within Alcala’s lens. “Try to forget there is a camera here,” he tells her. Kendrick then focuses her lens on Alcala’...
“You’re beautiful,” Alcala says to all of his victims, mostly women on the margins of society. He is a photographer. He knows the power of his gaze, o...
Not only does Kendrick give a typically intelligent and spunky performance as Sheryl, an aspiring actress and the contestant who matched with him on t...
