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Although she clearly cooperated with the production, Stewart has reportedly criticized Cutlers finished film, which is understandable.
But it might be an essential one.
Anyway, into the pyramid you go, R.J. Cutler.
Formally, the film is no great shakes.
(When young Martha Kostyra takes up modeling, we hear Etta James sing Good Lookin on the soundtrack.
When she becomes a stockbroker, we hear Nancy Sinatras These Boots Are Made for Walkin.
What makesMarthafascinating is the now-83-year-old Stewart herself, who presides over the film with a contemporary onscreen interview.
She makes a hard-nosed guide to her own life, pushing back when Cutler presses her on tougher topics.
When Stewart talks angrily about how Andy cheated on her, Cutler notes that she also cheated on him.
Yeah, but Andy never knew about that.
When Cutler replies that Andy did in fact know, Martha dismisses her own affairs as minor dalliances.
This sort of back-and-forth actually helps humanize Stewart, however much she may hate it in retrospect.
And it liftsMarthathe movie up from just another bit of swoony celebrity blather to something more interesting.
Stewarts surface perfection powered her business.
She created beautiful spaces with beautiful things and cooked beautiful dishes, all while still looking beautiful.
Stewart filled that gap, and she did so without requiring any kind of emotional reciprocity.
Stewart was also genuinely changed by prison and made friendships there among the women incarcerated alongside her.
Once her mask of perfection fell, she seemed to open herself up more to the world.
And maybeMarthastill thinks it is that kind of movie.
While most films would crystallize their theses as they near their end,Marthainvites ambiguity and uncertainty.
The more we see of Stewart, the more we feel for her and the less we understand her.
She cannot be summarized.
And as much asMarthamight try, in its failure to do so lies its unlikely power.
