52 Films by Women Vol 8. 9. Lisa Frankenstein (Director: Zelda Williams)
Still courtesy of Focus Features / Universal Pictures Gothic teenage first love is a genre that has been mined for at least two centuries. Misunderstood at home, the young heroine falls for the brooding older man who has his own issues. Nevertheless, he demonstrates that he is the one. Their romance takes dark twists before they finally meet a tragic end, usually involving fire. The lovers define their own world. They aren’t trying to change others because they have no hope of doing so. That is what makes their tale so tragic, though there may be a coda, something that suggests that their impression has left a mark on others. Diablo Cody ( Juno ) exploits these conventions for comedic effect in her screenplay, Lisa Frankenstein , brought to life by first-time feature film director Zelda Williams. It’s a throwback, not just in setting – the action takes place in 1989 – but to a type of teen comedy popular in the 1980s and early 1990s. Think Pretty in Pink but with dismemberment or Wi...