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The Bling Ring gang brakes out on the 5th of June
Friday 31st May 2013 | Cynthia
Sofia Coppola’s new movie The Bling Ring is one of the most awaited movies of this summer. The thriller is based on the true story of fame-obsessed teenagers who robbed the houses of Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan and Orlando Bloom in 2008 and 2009.
The robbers in question got away with millions of dollars’ worth in jewellery and clothing, but it was less about the clothes, more about fetishising the celebrities. The director was attracted to the story back in 2010 when she read a Vanity Fair article about the real-life Bling Ring gang. She immediately saw it as a way to tell a story reflecting internet-age youth issues. Indeed, the girls, led by the unscrupulous Rebecca (Katie Chang) are presented as a mutant species that cares about nothing – nothing! –, but fashion, tabloids, gossip, consumer goods, labels and parties. Coppola gives the movie this real, personal cache.
Paris Hilton allegedly had tears in her eyes while watching the movie at The Cannes Festival, as seeing such a convincing reconstruction of the crimes upset her. For added reality celeb authenticity, Hilton even allowed Coppola to shoot in her Hollywood home! She told Vulture: “During some parts of it, I literally had tears in my eyes and wanted to cry. I knew what happened with the burglaries, but I had never actually seen it.”
Emma Watson leaves Hermione behind and takes the lead as one of the burglars as an attempt to shake off the child star status the Harry Potter series has given her. She plays Nicki, a real mean girl that exudes an almost scolding glass-eyed insensitivity. Katie Chang gives Rebecca this kind of synthetic and sensual glow; Claire Julien embodies a kind of Cherie Currie of the 21st Century, while Israel Broussard draws us back to reality with his dazed and sympathetic character, Marc.
With this movie in hand, Coppola might slowly return to form after her last two badly reviewed movies Somewhere and Marie Antoinette. Entertainment Weekly called The Bling Ring her “most provocative movie yet”. The movie will be released on the 5th of July in the UK, and it is an absolute must-see for 2013. Don’t miss it!
Written by Cynthia Bifani
