Review of Kajillionaire
midlandsmovies • October 25, 2020
Kajillionaire (2020) Dir. Miranda July
Westworld’s Evan Rachel Wood stars in in this quirky offering from Miranda July which explores the growing pains of a young girl who is forced into a life of petty scams by her unloving parents.
She plays Old Dolio Dyne (yes, that’s really her name), the daughter of petty criminals Robert Dyne (an always watchable Richard Jenkins) and Theresa Dyne (a darker Debra Winger giving off mother superior cult vibes).
Old Dolio is treated as a partner in crime rather than a daughter and we are introduced to the family during a variety of scams including skimming, theft and petty fraud. Despite these regular swindles, they owe back-rent on their soap-filled office/home and Old Dolio suggests a ploy to claim travel insurance on lost luggage.
On the plane back from their swindle, the parents meet Gina Rodriguez as Melanie who joins their life of dodgy stings – but also begins to receive better treatment than Old Dolio herself.
Dressed as if Jay and Silent Bob merged into one person, Old Dolio in fact acts younger than her years even though her parents treat her as an adult. Missing birthday presents and regular parts of her upbringing, the film suggests that she has leapfrogged her childhood. And Rachel Wood delivers an excellent performance, channelling resentment coupled with a craving for love and care.
After an altercation between the group, Gina Rodriguez who has her own money problems, feels sympathy for Old Dolio and takes her under her wing as a surrogate parent. She promises to help her complete some unfulfilled dreams on the promise of the insurance refund.
Kajillionaire takes an age to get going – the setup is stretched way beyond of what an audience needs to understand its themes and characters. Yet, saying that, there’s definitely a 4 or even 5-star movie in here, which in another world would start at 45 minutes in.
But once is does hit its stride I found myself warming to its idiosyncratic charms. The tone is particularly peculiar but underneath the oddness is a thoughtful probe into maternal connections, child abandonment and issues of neglect. As Old Dolio begins to emerge from the years of inattention, the seriousness of her mistreatment is given more weight. This is staged alongside her blossoming and tender relationship with Michelle, whilst we also question whether an attempt to build bridges is just another part of her selfish parents’ scheming.
Part of its enjoyment comes from whether you can roll with its offbeat tone as it’s not a traditional one. Whereas Mark Kermode found its quirkiness off-putting, I threw myself into its spirit but the first half is something you may have to push yourself through. But I feel its more than worth it as for all the cons and rackets, the film’s real heart lies with Rachel Wood's marvellous performance of a woman yearning for affection but finding strength in herself.
★★★ ½
Michael Sales
Up! (1976) Dir. Russ Meyer Well, bi-Adolf Hitler BDSM is not something (a) I thought I’d ever see 5 minutes into a movie and (b) ever expected to write in my lifetime to be fair but this spicy start is pretty standard for the work of exploitation filmmaker Russ Meyer. Up! is a kind of r*pe-revenge softcore p*rn film (there’s gonna be a fair bit of self-censorship in this review so apologies in advance), the type Meyer is known for. I’d describe the plot in more detail but it’s mostly a convoluted and incoherent mess of double-crossing, murder, violence and lots and lots of humping. In short, a man called Adolph gets murdered and a woman investigates (kinda) the circumstances but as she does so, a group of locals blackmail, attack and screw each other with the murder mystery barely mentioned throughout. With so little narrative, it could be argued if it’s essentially p*rn? To be fair, not far off. It’s about extreme as you can go without simply making a s*x film. Is that a…no, it’s a belly button hole. Bookending the film (and also seen at various points throughout) is a Greek Chorus - simply a busty fully nude woman of course - who delivers dialogue like “Pummelling the scrotum with joyous supplication” and other such poeticisms. This artistic flourish is mostly pointless - the actress herself saying the words were tough to learn because it was utter nonsense. On a technical level, the editing is surprisingly well done and the 4k image is frankly fantastic. Someone somewhere must be putting together a post-modern take about the beautiful landscapes and cinematography of Meyer’s * ahem * output. But it definitely does have a kitsch artistry. It has certainly provided plenty of cinematic influence though. Elements of Tarantino grindhouse sensibilities are on show - Meyers likes bosoms as much as Quents likes feet - and there’s even a leather gimp early on. I can also see how its had an impact on Ti West X’s with a focus on sexuality and the body as well, more obviously, Anna Biller’s feminist-twist The Love Witch (2016). Suffice to say it’s not for the weak of heart. I think in this day and age you can’t go into this completely blind to its style, period and context though. It's an X-rated Carry On style that was bad taste then and it’s bad taste now. It revels in its sleaziness without a single hint of shame or apology. Simply saying 'deal with it'. The main negative though is the absence of plot - if the film can even be looked at like that - which is barely present. This is a shame as the whole thing could do with a bit more coherence rather than endless shagging. But it’s far from titillation, it’s mostly clowning - albeit a very adult version of it. More saucy than sexy. Trying to review this through modern sensibilities is almost impossible. It’s as offensive can be from the first scene through to the final credits - heck even this 4k menu is simply one of the film's many s*x scenes. But there are some progressive themes as it doesn’t shy from confronting sexual freedom, bisexuality, gay sex, BDSM and consensual exploration. There's moments of comedy thrown in and I enjoyed a frankly hilarious 5-minute monologue explaining the culprit’s intentions, which was a ludicrous way to deliver a slasher-style ending. I suppose the main thing about Up! (and Meyers’ work overall) is there’s a sort of love it or loathe it quality about the whole shebang. But it’s so unlike anything being made today - for good or bad - that it’s never anything other than unpredictably fascinating. More explicit than most Meyers films - in fact more than any film - it’s a lewd, rude and crude (s)exploration with a satirical edge and campy enjoyment bouncing from every frame. ★★★ 3 / 5 Michael Sales Severin Films releases Russ Meyers' UP! (1976) and MOTORPSYCHO (1965) on 28 April 2025 in newly restored and scanned 4k with hours of new and archival Special Features https://severinfilms.co.uk/
On the 24th of April, the Midlands Art Centre opened its doors to Gobby Flicks Productions for a night of live comedy. Proceeds were raised towards the production of new short comedy films, directed and written by women.
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Read the full list of nominees for the Midlands Movies Awards 2025