Towards the beginning of “Shirley,” an unwanted house guest tells Shirley Jackson (Elisabeth Moss) that one of the author’s stories made her feel “thrillingly horrible.” The same description can be applied to Shirley herself. She positively delights in shit-stirring. There’s talk of Shirley having “bouts” and being “sick in the head,” and her depression and agoraphobia play a major role in the film, but they never get in the way of her reveling in causing other people discomfort.
Beyond merely being “difficult,” Shirley relishes saying things that others wouldn’t dare. It’s thrilling to behold a female protagonist behaving this way, especially in a period pic. Whether she’s throwing barbs with her philandering husband, holding court with guests, or struggling to get out of bed, never mind leave the house, Shirley is impossible to look away from, thanks in no small part to the always stellar Moss.
Far from being a conventional biopic, and especially the type to canonize its subject, “Shirley” is merely a fascinating glimpse into a fascinating life, and a fictionalized one, at that. The psychological drama does not encompass “The Lottery” and “The Haunting of Hill House” writer’s entire life — instead, it focuses on a relatively brief chapter of it. The author is nearly finished writing her masterpiece when Stanley (Michael Stuhlbarg), her husband, invites his teaching assistant and new bride to live with them, threatening to disrupt the fragile ecosystem of their home.
After initially treating Fred (Logan Lerman, “Indignation”) and Rose (Odessa Young, “Assassination Nation”) as pawns in her and Stanley’s dysfunctional relationship, Shirley eventually finds herself drawn to Rose, who becomes fiercely protective of her thorny host. Both women are, in their own ways, struggling to make a name and forge an identity for themselves in a time and place that would prefer them to focus more on their husbands and household. Their evolving relationship ends up being the focus of the film.
“Shirley writes about consciousness; her descent into her characters’ psychologies always ends up leading the reader down new strange corridors. She walks you daringly into doubt – which is beautiful,” Decker told us. “I am obsessed with the mind and how it is a constantly fickle, ever-changing guide that fools you into believing that the reality you are living in is one you didn’t create yourself. Shirley is clearly obsessed with the same.”
Decker’s film also takes audiences down new, strange corridors, and she emphasized that she hopes “everyone’s experience of this film is utterly unique.”
Sarah Gubbins penned the script for “Shirley.” The film made its world premiere at Sundance and is now available via virtual cinemas and Hulu.
