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Not a Pretty Picture

Play trailer Poster for Not a Pretty Picture Released Mar 31, 1976 1h 23m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 5 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
In this pseudo-documentary, director Martha Coolidge presents a staging of a traumatic event from her youth. As a teenager, Coolidge was raped by a boarding school classmate. Coolidge is filmed directing the actors and coping with her trauma while the reenactments are being shot.
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Not a Pretty Picture

Critics Reviews

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Richard Brody The New Yorker Its blend of documentary and dramatic filmmaking, of first-person reflection and renactment, sets a standard for cinematic inquiry into the political implications of personal experience. Jun 9, 2018 Full Review Sean Burns WBUR’s Arts & Culture As we watch the movie being made, we’re also witnessing an artist finding catharsis in the act of creation. Mar 28, 2024 Full Review Alex Heeney Seventh Row Not a Pretty Picture would have been a conversation starter in the 1970s and still serves as one today... The interruptions to the narrative where we see behind-the-scenes work force us to question what the re-enactments really depict. Mar 22, 2024 Full Review Paula Arantzazu Ruiz Cinemanía (Spain) Coolidge's proposal is as shocking as it is exemplary. Rated: 5/5 Feb 29, 2024 Full Review Christopher Campbell Nonfics (Substack) Ahead of its time in terms of what it says and how it says it. Feb 10, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member Truly a great film. A very strange meshing of styles, with various levels of reality, and plenty of things that will most likely leave the audience frustrated and infuriated, but will inevitably provoke discussion. This is a reminder of power movies can have, and restored my faith in their ability to do good. Great job, Martha Coolidge! This needs to be on DVD. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/19/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Not a Pretty Picture

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Cast & Crew

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Martha Coolidge

Director

Reed Birney

Fred

Jim Carrington

Curly

Michele Manenti

Martha at 16

Diana Gold

Jane

Lillah McCarthy

Nancy

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Not a Pretty Picture

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Movie Info

Synopsis In this pseudo-documentary, director Martha Coolidge presents a staging of a traumatic event from her youth. As a teenager, Coolidge was raped by a boarding school classmate. Coolidge is filmed directing the actors and coping with her trauma while the reenactments are being shot.
Director
Martha Coolidge
Producer
Martha Coolidge
Screenwriter
Martha Coolidge
Production Co
Coolidge Productions
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Mar 31, 1976, Limited
Runtime
1h 23m
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