Queen Of Earth

Released by: Eureka/Masters of Cinema
Released on: July 11, 2016
Directed by: Alex Ross Perry
Cast: Elisabeth Moss, Katherine Waterston, Patrick Fugit, Kentucker Audley, Keith Poulson, Kate Lyn Sheil, Craig Butta
Year: 2015

The Movie:

Things aren't going to well for Catherine (Elisabeth Moss); her father has died recently in an “accident” (apparently suicide in reaction to some shady goings-on related to his art and business), and her boyfriend, James (Kentucker Audley), has ditched her for another woman. Needing a break, she vacations with her best friend, Virginia (Katherine Waterston), at Virginia's parents' lake house. Unfortunately, the getaway is haunted by memories. The year before, Catherine, James, and Virginia had spent a week at the same house, though at that time, Virginia had been the one having a rough time and it was Catherine who had failed to be supportive. Now the shoes are on the other feet, and Virginia has little compassion for Catherine's emotional decline. Making matters a whole lot worse is the young man, Rich (Patrick Fugit), who lives next door. Playing the part of Virginia's summer lover, he increasingly addles Catherine, in part because of her treatment of him the summer before, in part because he's an emotional sadist. As the week proceeds, Catherine slips further into her own narrow world, having conversations with people who aren't there and wallowing in her memories and misery.

Queen of Earth is a haunting tale of friendship, love, loss, and madness. Having lost her father and boyfriend, Catherine is unable to cope with the flood of memories her visit with Virginia brings, and as she begins to lose Virginia, too, her depression spirals into lunacy. In the role of Catherine, Elisabeth Moss easily shifts from her soap operatic past (The West Wing, Mad Men) to indie feature filmmaking, where she essays her talents for the arthouse crowd. This wasn't Moss's first film for director Alex Ross Perry, who had previous cast her in Listen Up Philip (2014), loosely influenced by the works of Philip Roth. Moss, who also acted as a producer on Queen of Earth, stepped into her role with apparent ease, melting into the role of Catherine.

Moss isn't the only great thing going for Queen of Earth. Perry's direction recalls the work of Ingmar Bergman at his best, though on an even smaller scale, with a beautiful mix of claustrophobic, woodsy settings and intimate close-ups. Perry's is a world wherein the trees are a canopy that clouds out the sky and limits the lake-house inhabitants' worldview. An even more interesting metaphor is Perry's use of lapping waves, which are not only used to transition the days but to also represent Catherine's changing mental states. It's an audacious idea, subtle and yet prominent, a persistent reminder that emotions are fluid.

Video/Audio/Extras:

Eureka has released Queen of Earth in a Duel Format Blu-ray/DVD combo as part of their Masters of Cinema line. The film features an MPEG-4 AVC encode in 1080p high definition, in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1.78:1. The film was shot on 16mm and blown up to 35mm for theatrical bookings. The transfer for the Blu-ray features a very earthy, naturalistic look, the kind only 16mm can deliver in hi-def. Colors are neither flashy nor desaturated, with a true-to-life appeal. Detail is moderate, popping a little more when there are plants in the frame than when the frame is focused on faces, but that's to be expected; 16mm has never been as detailed as 35mm and will certainly never look like hi-def digital video—but that's a good thing. There's no crush, with black and gray levels being what they should be, and grain is a little course; again, this is exactly what one should expect. All in all, the image is quite nice, and Perry achieves the kind of look he's going for: old-fashioned, almost European in its textures. If it weren't for the actors involved or the modern styles of dress, one could easily believe the film had been shot sometime in the 1970s or early '80s. The film has been placed on a dual-layered BD50, allowing for less compression and a higher bit rate.

The film's primary track is presented in lossless English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, which contains a frenetic sound mix that reflects Catherine's increasing delirium. The dialogue is easily discernible throughout, and sound effects pop when they should. There are no issues, though audiences shouldn't expect the kind of sound one would get from a big-budget action flick. This is a slow burn, an intimate portrait of one woman losing her sanity, and the sound mix and cues are appropriate to that. Optional English subtitles are included for the deaf and hearing impaired per Eureka's standard. There's also an audio commentary from directory Perry and star Moss. It has been recorded in English LPCM 2.0. Perry and Moss sit in a room discussing the film as they watch it, but the commentary never feels disjointed (or prepared, for that matter). There's a lightness to it, an improvised freshness that keeps it interesting. It also helps that Perry and Moss get along really well, and there's no egotistical competition for dominance. They bounce off each other's ideas and anecdotes, trading stories about how the film came about, the script development, the other actors and crew, and so on. For fans of Moss, the commentary provides a fascinating window into how the actress thinks and works. Overall, however, it's a discussion between two immensely talented people that reveals some of their inner workings, and much of Perry's observations deal with Moss's reactions during the shoot. (At one point, Perry aptly compares Moss to Catherine Deneuve in Roman Polanski's Repulsion, 1965.)

Extras include an original theatrical trailer for the film; it runs 1:19 and is aimed at the British market. As with the film itself, it carries an almost '70s European flavor, captivating in its beauty. There's also a behind-the-scenes short (7:11), which focuses on the shooting of one scene and showcases the director at work.

The Final Word:

Queen of Earth is a great film, old-fashioned in its artistry. Elisabeth Moss is emotionally resonant as Catherine, a woman in decline after the loss of her mentor father and over-reliant boyfriend. Perry's direction is flawless, and the 16mm image looks resplendent in high definition. This is the kind of film that lovers of art cinema should adore: smart, somber, well acted, and gorgeously framed. Eureka's Blu-ray release is about as close to theatrical as an image can get.

Christopher Workman is a freelance writer, film critic, and co-author (with Troy Howarth) of the Tome of Terror horror film review series. Volume 2 of that series (covering the 1930s), is currently available, with Volume 1 (covering the silent era) due out later this year.

Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!