BeauteouS: The Trilogy

Filmmaker Giovanna Chesler tackles the subject of beauty in three short films featuring herself and her two sisters. In “BeauteouS: Giovanna,” a four-minute experimental black and white film, the filmmaker offers an exploration of the female body and self-image during a short trip she makes from the shower to the kitchen to fix a cup of tea. Shot in grainy close-ups, from face and elbow to buttocks and forearms, the camera captures familiar aspects of femininity with a wide-eyed look at the good, the flab, and the ugly. In the 24-minute, “BeauteouS,” Chesler reveals a goofy sensibility in a comedic film that showcases her middle sister, Michele, as Donatella, a Long Island beauty queen who discovers her attraction to a female classmate as well as her own passionate self-awakening on the verge of her high school prom. Finally, the most sophisticated and rewarding film of the trilogy is a 15-minute documentary entitled “BeauteouS: Stephanie” about Chesler's youngest sister, Stephanie, who was born with a cleft lip and palate. Without showing her face, Chesler paints a thoroughly compelling portrait of her sister through long shots, fragmented close-ups, and Stephanie's own narrative voiceover tracing her painful childhood as she coped with the emotional and physical suffering associated with over 20 constructive and reconstructive surgeries. At the end of the film when Stephanie finally turns to look full into the camera, we see a stunning beauty, resonating with her deeply felt personal experience. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)