Enjoy a messy unedited ramble about my Longlegs thoughts. Minor spoilers ahead.
So I recently watched Oz Perkin’s Longlegs and adored it. I knew I would, it’s just one of those films that spoke to my specific taste. I know some people will find it lacking a payoff or kick, and I respect that. I don't think it's the “scariest movie of the year” (execpt maybe I do because what other horror movies have come out this year that have been really scary??), and I don't think it's the best horror movie ever, but it's still my favorite horror movie so far this year. Instead of a review, I have some comparisons to Silence of the Lambs I need a place to vomit.
Lee Harker is a great Clarice Starling mirror. Both female FBI agents with an unnatural connection to a strange serial murderer. Both special and used by the agency to their own detriment. The chosen ones, the lambs to the slaughter.
Gender politics are a huge part of Silence of the Lambs, and while not as obvious in Longlegs, the undercurrent is there. My favorite example of this is when Clarice gets into the elevator and is surrounded by men taller than her. A simple shot, but clearly illustrates how even when she’s just trying to get from one floor to another she stands out. She can’t blend in in an elevator, and she can’t blend in in her career climb. My favorite example of this gender commentary in Longlegs is the various instances of other female officers expressing concern for Lee. The male characters in the film want to push her, the women see it’s too much.
One thing that has always struck me about Clarice is how much bite she has. She comes across as calm and professional on the surface, but in the books, she has an inner monologue that is constantly screaming. She’s angry, she’s ruthless, and she’s driven. At first glance where she ends up in the books can seem jarring and out of character, but to me, it always made some sense. She’s manipulated and broken for sure, but Hannibal did not create any darkness in her that she didn’t already have in one form or another. If nothing else, Clarice wants to be in control.
Lee comes across as almost the opposite. She’s rougher on the surface. She lacks social skills, and beyond her talents in decoding, she doesn’t appear to be a particularly good FBI agent. She’s hesitant, she’s scared, she doesn’t seem to want it. She comes across as emotionally numb or stunted at first, but this slowly begins to unravel. I think underneath the facade Lee isn’t hungry for more like Clarice, she just wants it all to stop. The idea of fate and free will are themes in Longlegs, and I think they apply well to why Lee is an FBI agent in the first place. She’s not driven by love, revenge, or a need to prove herself, she’s led unwillingly by forces beyond her.
Childhood trauma is central to both characters. Both are forced to confront their demons in the worst way possible, and I think it swallows them. Clarice didn’t emerge from her story whole, and I doubt Lee will either.
Longlegs isn’t Silence of the Lambs, but I think it’ll rattle around my head in a similar way for years to come.
-xoxo Emma