Julia Fox Cries Over Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘All About My Mother’ in the Criterion Closet: It ‘Changed My Life’
Julia Fox can’t help but shed a tear over the legacy of Pedro Almodóvar’s “All About My Mother” — especially when it comes to her personal history with the Oscar-winning 1999 film starring Penélope Cruz.
Fox, while visiting the Criterion Closet to promote “Presence” which is now on VOD, said that it was “All About My Mother” that showed her how “unconventional beauty” can be accepted.
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“OK, I had an advisor in high school, she was the only reason I went to school. She really had my back. If I didn’t go to class, she would still mark me present. We had a very interesting bond. And she actually lent me a box set of all of his movies. I feel like I’m going to cry,” Fox said. “She lent me a box set of all of his movies…Why am I crying over Pedro Almodóvar? I love Pedro Almodóvar. But I had never seen unconventional beauty or beauty that was not the norm be so propped up and made to be so beautiful, like the large noses and interesting faces, and it just really, definitely changed my life.”
“All About My Mother” is dedicated to “to all actresses who have played actresses; to all women who act; to men who act and become women; to all the people who want to be mothers; to my mother,” as auteur Almodóvar includes in the credits. For multihyphenate actress Fox, the message more than resonants.
During her Criterion Closet trip, Fox also spoke about the power of Sofia Coppola and Lena Dunham when it comes to capturing femininity and womanhood onscreen. Fox explained how “genius” Dunham’s “Tiny Furniture” was an unprecedented statement about “millennial trauma.”
“This was Lena Dunham’s first film that put her on the map. This was a really big deal for the New York girls,” Fox said while holding the “Tiny Furniture” release. “I feel like she really captured that feeling of, you go to college, have all these dreams, think you’re going to get this job, and then really nothing happens. And you feel like you come home and everyone’s moved on without you. Your friends who opted not to go to college already have jobs, some already have careers. And you feel like, ‘Wait, what did I just do for the last four years?’ And she really captured the millennial trauma of, ‘Wait, I was promised all this stuff, I did everything right, and I feel like I’m 10 steps behind everyone else.’ Especially when you’re leaving New York to go to college, because it kind of feels counterintuitive. Most people come to New York to get their lives started. So why would you leave New York? But she did a great job and I’ve been following her career ever since.”
Fox added of Dunham’s later HBO series, “I love ‘Girls.’ It’s my comfort space. I love her work. I think she’s a genius.”
Fox also selected Coppola’s “The Virgin Suicides” as an essential film for her youth. The feature celebrates its 25th anniversary this year.
“Oh my gosh, this film, ‘The Virgin Suicides’….I actually grew up above a video store and when this film came out, I was probably like 11 years old and I rented it. And then I went on to rent it once a week for the entire year. [It was] to the point where my dad was like, ‘Are you OK?'” Fox said. “You know, being a girl is hard and sometimes it’s even hard to explain why. And this film did that.”
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