The defence The Auteur Devotee
“Form is the argument.”
Every composed frame and deliberate cut is evidence that control can be thrilling in its own right.
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Shirley
Drama · Thriller · Mystery · 2020
A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.
Movie details
Shirley
2020 Drama · Thriller · Mystery 1h 47m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.1 / 10
Community rating
A famous horror writer finds inspiration for her next book after she and her husband take in a young couple.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over Shirley?
For the defence
The Auteur Devotee
“You watch the director, not the movie.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Popcorn Loyalist
“Big screen, big feelings, no apologies.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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Black Butterfly
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Paul is a down-on-his-luck screenwriter who picks up a drifter and offers him a place to stay. However, when the deranged stranger takes Paul hostage and forces him to write, their unhinged relationship brings buried secrets to light.
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Dream Lover
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Not long after they cross paths at an art gallery, architect Ray Reardon and hypnotically sensual Lena are married with children. But as strange incidents occur, Ray begins to realize he may not really know the woman he married.
Deep Water
Drama · 2022
A well-to-do husband who allows his wife to have affairs in order to avoid a divorce becomes a prime suspect in the disappearance of her lovers.
Don't Worry Darling
Mystery · 2022
Alice and Jack are lucky to be living in the idealized community of Victory, the experimental company town housing the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project and their families. But when cracks in their idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something much more sinister lurking beneath the attractive façade, Alice can’t help questioning exactly what they’re doing in Victory, and why.
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Josephine Decker
Written by
Sarah Gubbins
Elisabeth Moss
Shirley Jackson
Odessa Young
Rose Nemser / Paula
Michael Stuhlbarg
Stanley Hyman
Logan Lerman
Fred Nemser
Victoria Pedretti
Katherine
Robert Wuhl
Randy Fisher
Paul O'Brien
Dean
Court is in session
Put Shirley on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist
“Technique in search of a pulse.”
Immaculate construction is still construction. The film may be too busy proving its craft to feel alive.