Judy

JUDY - Pathé

If Director Rupert Goold's film Judy succeeds in anything, it is that of Renée Zellweger's sure-fire Academy Award nomination for her performance as the titular character Judy Garland. Zellweger crafts a stunning portrayal of the internally conflicted and psychologically tortured star with heartfelt poignancy. Touching upon a dark and deep underbelly of abuse, both self-inflicted and subjected to, Zellweger to her credit moulds her persona as Garland on her own merit and ability alone without much material to construct upon by writer Tom Edge. Material that unfortunately glides around the more substantial and weighted anguish of the character rather than diving deep in.

The depth and circumstance of the character's trials are sadly far and few with only a select amount of material provided to showcase Garland's descending journey. Even added context to the circumstances of Judy's private life that the film finds the character struggling with at the beginning of the picture doesn’t seem to help. Sequences with her mental struggle, physical fatigue, and her addiction with prescription pills are only underlining themes throughout. Understandably, Rupert Goold's film is a celebration of Garland and her formidable talent as a performer, but the darker themes undeniably define her legacy and to understate such is slightly problematic considering her struggle.

Goold's film, with the skill of editor Melanie Oliver, cuts back and forth between Garland's inaugural presence in Victor Fleming's The Wizard of Oz - Garland's semi-successful transformation into a star - and in the latter half of her life during the much shrouded tour in London. The parallel storylines add a degree of touching and tender emotional arcs acting as both Garland's rise and ultimately a fall in each tale, respectively. However, even in the midst of what would seem like a success, the inevitable curtain call of demise is always around the corner, pushed upon her by the studio. Once again, the film only lightly touches upon the grief and turmoil surrounding her life, an element that sadly defines the picture overall. The choice was not only a missed opportunity to highlight the brutality of the entertainment industry but a hollow conviction to indeed provide the audience with a detailed examination of the legendary actress herself.

Judy is released on October 3, 2019.