Variety
Synopsis
Variety inverts the traditional narrative structure of cinema – whereby a man watches and a woman is watched – without showing, and thus flaunting, the object of female desire. Creating a counter-narrative to Hollywood, Bette Gordon asks the same question formulated by Teresa de Lauretis in “Oedipus Interruptus”: “How did Medusa feel upon seeing herself in Perseus' mirror just before being slain?”
Official Selection Berlinale 2019 - Forum Archival Constellations
Details
- Year
- 1983
- Type of project
- Features
- Running time
- 100 mins
- Director
-
Bette Gordon
- Producer
- Renée Shafransky
- Editor
- Ila von Hasperg
- Screenwriter
- Kathy Acker (script), Bette Gordon (original story)
- Director of Photography
- Tom Dicillo, John Foster
- Sound
- Helene Kaplan; Sound Design: Ila von Hasperg
- Composer
- John Lurie
- Principal cast
- Sandy McLeod, Will Patton, Luis Guzman, Nan Goldin, Richard Davidson
- Digital restoration
- New York Women in Film and Television's Women's Film Preservation Fund, DuArt Film and Video
- Film Image
- © Bette Gordon, Nan Goldin
Genre
Categories
Production Status
Production Company
US, Germany, UK co-production
Channel 4 Films (UK), Variety Motion Pictures (US), Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen/ ZDF (DE)
Page updates
This page was last updated on 12th May 2025. Please let us know if we need to make any amendments or request edit access by clicking below.
See also
You may also be interested in other relevant projects in the database.
Pheasant
Director: Claire Molloy
Year: 2026
A drama set in rural England amidst the backdrop of World War II exploring themes of identity, belonging, and the impact of war on personal lives - highlighting the human capacity for both empathy and cruelty in times of crisis. Martha, an 11-year-old mixed-race girl, is evacuated from London to the northern English countryside. Martha finds herself in the care of a gruff gamekeeper and his family. Feeling isolated and rejected due to her racial background and the community’s war-induced tensions, she tries to adapt to her new life, becoming captivated by the natural beauty of the countryside. Martha forms a secret friendship with Enzo, an Italian POW, whose gentle demeanour and shared sense of displacement draw them together. Martha also navigates a complex relationship with George, the gamekeeper's son, who is torn between his familial prejudices and his growing fondness for Martha.
Gowk
Director: Ryan Pollock
Year: 2025
Set in the decaying housing estate of Gowkthrapple and based on a true story, Gowk follows a young boy as he begins to uncover a painful family secret. His mother’s sudden absence casts a shadow over the household, while his father, unable to express his own suppressed pain, keeps the truth of the incident buried. As the boy begins to realise the emotional weight of his family’s past and the fragility of its present, he navigates a world of unspoken truths and generational wounds. The film explores the cyclical nature of family bonds, the struggle to connect across generations, the impact of inherited trauma, and the beginnings of a premature loss of innocence.
Grandboy
Director: Eva Edo
Year: 2026
A poignant drama exploring young carers, dementia, and the power of intergenerational love. Set over one day, 13-year-old Ezra secretly cares for his grandmother Agnes after his mother disappears. As Agnes’s dementia worsens and their home slips into chaos, Ezra struggles to cope and keep the truth from everyone. When Agnes’s medication runs out, Ezra’s forced beyond the safety of the house, dodging a watchful neighbour, a concerned friend, and police conducting door-to-door enquiries. Pressure mounts when Agnes’s agitation spirals and the knock at the door becomes unavoidable. Under police questioning, Ezra’s secret unravels, prompting a fleeting moment of recognition from Agnes. To protect them both, Ezra must decide whether to accept help, even if it means losing the person he loves most.