Actress

Actress is a distinctive and intimate documentary by Robert Greene, first premiered in 2014. It stars Brandy Burre, a seasoned performer recognized for her roles in HBO's series, "The Wire" and in movies like "The Sleepy Time Gal." The film also features Daytona Love and Michael Tomlinson.

This groundbreaking independent film skilfully blurs the lines between reality and performance, essaying an in-depth portrait of the emotional upheavals a performer goes through when her real life intersects with her craft. At its core, Actress is less about the ins and outs of the Hollywood acting industry, and more about the life of the titular actress, Brandy Burre.

As viewers are introduced to Brandy Burre, they quickly learn she's not the typical Hollywood starlet. The film depicts her truthfully as a mother of two living in Beacon, a small town in New York. She's also a partner to Tim, with whom she shares a complex but loving relationship that ebbs and flows throughout the film.

Burre had dropped her acting career to focus on her family life, and this decision is portrayed realistically in the film, her retirement echoing the reality experienced by many women who put their careers on hold for familial responsibilities. However, the itch to return to the acting world begins to creep back into her life, creating an internal and external tumult. This constitutes the central conflict in the film, shaping Actress into an enlightening study of female identity, career, and the choices they necessitate.

One of the fascinating features of Actress is its cinematic direction – straddling the line between documentary and narrative. It begins in an almost candid way, showing Burre managing daily domestic tasks like cooking and caring for her children. An early scene shows her sponging off a red wine stain on her carpet, symbolizing her spill over from her domestic role back into acting.

As the film progresses, it gains deliberate theatricality, with Burre often gazing directly into the camera, her direct engagement with the audience heightening the narrative's authenticity. These performances, married with Greene's prismatic cinematography and inventive framing, creates on-screen poetry, further deepening viewers' engagement in Burre's story.

In the film's narrative progression, you will find scenes that involve the whole family, including Daytona Love and Michael Tomlinson's participation. This inclusion cultivates a collective character study, showing how the individuals in a family are affected when one of them is on the precipice of significant change. The depth of the family dynamic, coupled with the mid-life crisis dimension, offers a multilayered storyline that entices and challenges the viewer.

The subtle, detailed, and nuanced portrayal of Brandy as a professional, a woman, a mother, and a partner is what sets Actress apart. The film doesn't shy away from portraying the often grim realities of navigating life trapped between competing desires. This lack of sugar-coating creates an atmosphere of rawness that touches on the universal aspects of human existence and shapes the film into more than just a now-and-then snapshot of Brandy Burre or the acting profession, but rather an elucidation of the human experience itself.

Greene's profound and poignant narrative explores the complexity of Burre's situation, her struggle and dream, and the entanglement of her past, present, and future. It captures Burre's quiet strength, inviting the audience to empathize and reflect on their assumptions about acting, motherhood, dreams, and sacrifices.

The film explores themes of ambition, desire, and authenticity, but it manages to maintain balance by being equally about the mundane and profound aspects of everyday life. The moments of despair, hope, mundanity, and the dream of something more that Brandy embodies escalate Actress from being a mere star profile into a vitalizing piece of art. Actress is a must-watch for anyone interested in unique portrayals of real life, art, and dreams in motion.