the notorious bettie page

bettie page was hot. but could she possibly have been as stupid as Mary Harron makes her out to be in this movie? most of the film inexplicably takes place in black and white, except for the scenes in miami, where Page poses for Bunny Yeager and picks up random men on the beach. ostensibly highly religious, Page 'grapples' with whether jesus would consider bondage photos sinful and is completely oblivious to the lust she inspires. the sexual abuse of her past is summed up in a raised eyebrow from her father and Page's insistence on getting into a car with a bunch of strangers who unsurprisingly drive her out of town to rape her. it would have been nice to come away from this film with the impression that Page had some agency in her legendary career. instead, she comes off as a dim-witted child. on the brighter side, it's always a pleasure to see Lili Taylor.