We braved bird attacks and the burning Central Texas sun to be surrounded by a mob of beautiful women who make up the world of Women In Trouble. It was a mob of six to be exact – Rya Kihlstedt, Carla Gugino, Cameron Richardson, Connie Britton, Marley Shelton, and Emmanuelle Chriqui – with the added bonus of director Sebastian Gutierrez either backing me up or making it worse. A lesser journalist would have backed down, but I stood tall against the challenge and took a seat at the table. Also, I’d already had several margaritas (they hand free ones out constantly here!) so my inhibitions were pretty shot anyway. Of course, that’s when I learned what happens when you don’t bring tequila to an interview. Consider that a lesson, budding journalists – talent demands booze, and they’re counting on you to bring it.
The movie itself is difficult to describe – a kind of pulpy, hyper real day-in-the-life where extraordinary situations crash down upon ten women. A woman hooks up with a rock star in an airplane bathroom only to have him drop dead. Two call girls babysit a woman getting plastered because her husband has cheated on her. The third most popular porn star in the world gets trapped in an elevator with a woman who has a heartbreaking family secret. A budding porn star reveals a secret from her past involving her golden retriever.
It delivers raunchiness with heart, shows a group of women reacting naturally to a day they’ll always remember for its absurdities, and shows the range not only of women but of the actresses playing them. In the video interview, you’ll see right to left: Rya Kihlstedt who plays Rita, a bartender at a lesbian bar; Carla Gugino who plays Elektra Luxx, a porn star whose anatomically correct vaginal sex toy is the best seller on the market; Cameron Richardson who plays Darby, a sympathetic masseuse; Connie Britton who plays Doris, a woman whose past mistakes are still haunting her; Marley Shelton who plays a flight attendant with a rock star admirer; Emmanuelle Chriqui who plays a sweetheart call girl who plays mother to her friend Holly; and director Sebastian Gutierrez who plays himself. He also turns the camera on me at one point. Film School Rejects apologizes for that inconvenience. But enjoy the video anyway!
Feast your eyes:
Women in Trouble currently does not have an official release date. Though its sequel, Electra Luxx, is already shot and in post production. We will keep you updated as things progress, naturally. For more of the best damn coverage of the 2009 SXSW Film Festival, check out our SXSW ’09 Homepage.
Related Topics: SXSW
