Article written for ROUGH Online Magazine
"A Therapy" is a short movie signed by the controversial and famous director Roman Polanski for Prada, presented by surprise at the Cannes Film Festival, right before the screening of the restored version of his movie Tess[1979], based on the novel by Thomas Hardy.
Aristocratic attitude, flaming red lipstick, dark sunglasses.
This is the portrait of a beautiful and rich woman, interpreted by Helena Bonham Carter, who comes into the psychoanalyst's office, wearing head-to-toe Prada. She takes off her coat and shoes before laying on a chaise lounge to muse about being wealthy and lonely. But the magic happens when the analyst, played by Ben Kingsley, stops listening and wordlessly gets up to try on his patient's mauve coat adorned by a marvellous silver fox fur collar.
This delightful short movie is a 3:30 min of a concentrated and hilarious class and withering irony, a parody of the celebration of luxury, which stages a psychoanalytic session where the doctor proves himself more interested in the fur coat than the life of his patient.
Watch the short movie below:
Polanski says about this delightful movie:
A game, a thought, that through friendship and mutual respect has become true. When i was asked to shoot a short movie for Prada, i did not think that i could really be myself, but the reality is that in the total freedom i was given, i had the opportunity to reunite my favorite group on set and just have fun. The chance to dwell on what the fashion world represents nowadays and the fact that it is accompanied by so many stereotypes is fascinating and at the same time a bit upsetting, but you defintely can not ignore it. It's very refreshing to know that are still places open to irony and wit, for sure Prada is one of them.
Because Prada suits everyone. Of course.
Credits: Youtube