THE STORY – After lonely aspiring teen actress Hannah is passed over for a role in her senior year high school play, she decides to take a class at “Act One Studios,” an acclaimed dramatic acting company known for bringing success to its young performers. There, she meets Melanie, a magnetic acting instructor, who, unlike Hannah’s dysfunctional family, believes in her future success as an artist completely. What starts as a rhythmic and hallucinatory story of finding where you belong quickly takes a thrilling turn.
THE CAST – Ella Beatty, Ari Graynor, Nate Mann, Elizabeth Reaser, Sinclair Daniel, Robert Sean Leonard & Tavi Gevinson
THE TEAM – Sophia Takal (Director/Writer)
THE RUNNING TIME – 104 Minutes
It’s always a fascinating journey to see how far an artist is willing to go for their craft, even if it comes with dire consequences – looking at you, Nina from “Black Swan” and Andrew from “Whiplash.” The time has come for a new ingénue to enter the arena: Reserved high schooler Hannah, looking for a mentor who’ll take her to the stars in Sophia Takal’s psychosexual drama “Act One.” This budding artist comes with a whole lot of potential and intense mommy issues, and that’s catnip for her mysterious acting teacher who blurs the line between a trusted confidant and predatory groomer. It’s an intense ride that gets more compelling and more disturbing with every turn, so strap in as we plunge into the depths of a twisted actors’ studio.
Hannah (Ella Beatty) wants nothing more than to become an actress. She’s lined her bedroom walls with glamorous old Hollywood stars, she recites monologues with her every waking breath, and she’s ready to end her senior year as the star of the school play. Unfortunately, others around her don’t seem to care or think she’s anything special. Most heartbreakingly, her mother (Elizabeth Reaser), who bluntly tells her she needs to take an interest in her appearance above all else. Even at her school play audition, the theater director is more interested in a self-written, sexual monologue about ice cream that a scantily clad young girl delivers than Hannah’s emotional reading from “A Doll’s House.” Sure, it’s not Broadway-level good, but we can see that Hannah means business.
With no one around her to support or nourish her craft, Hannah discovers Act One Studios, a small theater company led by enigmatic redhead Melanie (Ari Graynor). The high schooler is immediately captivated by Melanie’s ethereal presence and gentle voice, and it’s hard not to find ourselves taken by her too. Similarly, Takal appears enamored with this woman, as she captures her from afar in certain scenes and knows exactly what angles to show us. Graynor gives just a little taste of what we can expect from Melanie in this introduction – showing both a nurturing teacher and an intense artist, as she doesn’t hold back from cutting students off and telling them she doesn’t “believe” their performances. Melanie thinks actors are the ultimate truth-seekers and is obsessed with the idea of showing people reality through the art form. When she lays eyes on Hannah, it’s like a predator finding its next meal. She can sense all her troubles and reassures her of her potential, so much so that she takes her under her wing. That means everything for this young girl, who is ready to drink whatever Kool-Aid Melanie offers her. But if the frequent on-screen fades to a red signal anything, it’s that poor Hannah doesn’t stand a chance.
There’s a lot that the role of Hannah requires – going from the innocent good girl to an in-over-her-head young woman – and Beatty fits into it all with ease. The way she leans into Hannah’s shy mannerisms and lack of confidence makes it so believable that she would get swept up in Melanie’s wicked games. It’s quite sad to see how much she depends on this group to take her away from her life – her parents are constantly fighting, they don’t care about her aspirations, and it doesn’t look like she has any real friends. Unfortunately, the adults who should know better, including her older scene partner, Henry (Nate Mann), all participate in taking advantage of her. All of them are under some sort of spell that Melanie has conjured, and none of this would work narratively if it weren’t for Graynor’s performance. She’s constantly bouncing back and forth between being a magnetic woman everyone wants to be around and an abuser, and it pulls viewers into her every move. At an acting retreat, Hannah sees more of Melanie’s meanness when the teacher starts picking on her from the group. Everyone reassures Hannah that Melanie is hardest on the ones she thinks are most talented, and while the teen doesn’t believe that initially, it clearly excites her and gets her more entangled in this web. Even when she sees the cracks begin to show, as when Melanie takes her to a play, and she comes face-to-face with a former protégé with whom she had a bitter falling-out, Hannah is in too deep to come to her senses.
Now, let’s be clear: This film will not work for everyone, and it will most certainly make viewers uncomfortable with the turns it takes. Takal doesn’t hold back on the grooming that Melanie and Henry orchestrate and that Hannah sheepishly walks into. A few scenes in particular, where the three of them are alone in Melanie’s home, are pretty shocking and messed up, but I can’t say that I didn’t find myself taken by the boldness. It’s like when you’re watching “Blue Velvet” or “Eyes Wide Shut,” and you know everything you’re seeing is wrong and perverted, but you just have to keep watching to see where the madness will take you. If you’re wondering where on Earth Hannah’s parents are during all this, they briefly snap out of their marital strife to care for their daughter. Reaser and Graynor go head-to-head in one scene, and it’s fun to watch these two take on the form of mama bears fighting over their cub. Where this story eventually leads to makes sense narratively, given how far down the rabbit hole Hannah is, but its execution is messy and rushed.
“Act One” is jam-packed with high-flying emotions, tragic situations, and a whole lot of f—ed up vibes, all of which make it an engrossing watch. So much of this film works because of its trio of performers, who give themselves over to the madness, and Takal’s plunge into the dark side. While yes, not everyone will be on board with this film’s journey, Takal shows she’s not afraid to make bold, cinematic decisions that will stir up lively conversations.
