Larry Oliver Film Reviews

  The forgotten wife and taken-for-granted mother is the subject of Los Angeles-based, Scottish-born writer-director Marianna Palka’s fourth feature, Bitch . The title doesn’t take prisoners. You look at it in movie listings and it is an accusation: Bitch . It’s a label that is too readily used, a go-to curse word, dismissive, marginalising – Bitch . It’s not a title you want to repeat. ‘What have you seen recently?’ ‘Oh, a film about a woman who has a mental breakdown and turns into a dog.’ ‘Sounds interesting, what’s it called?’ ‘ Bitch. ’ I think of it as a conversation stopper, an expression of exasperation and admission of defeat – Bitch . It is a powerful, powerful word, one that needs to be divested of its import, although until recently I thought ‘divested of its import’ means taking away a St Bernard’s alcohol. Bitch flip-flops between psychological drama, dark comedy, horror film and a story of the things we do for love, that is, get on all fours in public and yap like...