Today I stopped by Vons and happened upon a casebook by and about Joyce Carol Oates. I haven't really paid much attention to her stuff really, but I picked up the book and as I flipped through it I caught mention of the film Smooth Talk with Laura Dern, which, I learned was based on a short story written by Oates. This, of course, intrigued me, as I found that film most striking and full of interesting statements on women, sexuality, and adulthood. Most plainly put, I found this film very eerie, and I liked the film, and every time I have seen it it causes me to stop and think about what is going on in it. The play between innocence and mature sexuality which is played upon in this film sends prickles up one's arms and shivers up one's spine with the extent to which sexuality is portrayed as dirty in this film and the feeling that the filmmaker plants within the film that the protagonist, Connie, has just bitten into the forbidden apple and that her fate from now on will be one of dread. Alas, the score, which is a song by James Taylor,is absolutely haunting and I cannot hear that song today without the hairs on my arms standing up.

In the film, Connie is a fifteen year old girl living in a small country town, longing to be grown and rebelling against her mother's wishes by showing just how grown she is with her school friends (by taking trips to the mall and hanging out at adult bars and letting men buy drinks for them). This "adult" behaviour results in her gaining the attention of Arnold Friend, who when introduced in the film is already a shady character who, when he appears, strikes fear in the heart of the viewer. In the role of a teenager, Arnold Friend is clearly not a teenager, but at least ten or fifteen years older. When he pulls up in front of Connie's house in his shiny convertible with his sidekick, who may well be a teenager, one already knows that what will unfold will not be good, or even a sappy teenage story.

All the while Connie interacts with him, one wants to grab her and pull her back from the danger that we know that she is encountering. His offers to "take her for a ride," and the fact that he knows just too damned much about her and her family for someone who isn't even from her town, a complete total stranger, just refines the eerieness of the film and adds to the feeling of impending doom that one gets from viewing it. What feminists have to say about this film, which I got a glimpse at from the book at Vonn's should definitely interesting.

Laura Dern carries this film off well.She is definitely one of those actresses who defines themselves in terms of their politics and the choices of roles that they take on. Not one to try and rule the limelight or wear the crown of Hollywood, Laura Dern's film roles always have depth, meaning, and a richness of character, from Connie in Smooth Talk to Ruth in Citizen Ruth, you can always count on Laura Dern to bring a complex, thought-provoking character to the screen. This is a great film and I should definitely read the story. Joyce Carol Oates seems to be quite a profound, and insightful writer.