REVIEW
Factory Girl – All the Potential for Greatness but Limited Follow Through

Written By: Naomi Wiggins

Boasting perfectly shaky camera work from Michael Grady and a “b-role”-esque feel that succinctly pulls an audience into the 1960s with a swish of hippie fashion, continuously exposed body parts and those ever vibrant Brillo pads, George Hinkenlooper’s Factory Girl seeks to uncover the chaotic, freewheeling but ultimately lonely life of Andy Warhol’s favorite little socialite Edie Sedgwick.

However, even with the flash and flamboyance of a more than turbulent era to build upon, Factory Girl is difficult to stomach and leaves a taste of the cursory, the superficial and the shallow in one’s mouth. Focusing on a woman who fully believed she wouldn’t live past thirty, the film follows Sedgwick’s journey from bright-eyed optimistic college girl to drug-addicted, alcohol-dependent, fame-following Warhol groupie. While Hinkenlooper doesn’t judge this full-fledged free spirit, he makes the fatal mistake of resting his entire film upon her shoulders, upon a woman who is as solid and dependable as quicksand.

The film begins with an exuberantly enthusiastic Edie Sedgwick (Sienna Miller) packing her bags and ditching school to pursue a more free, more fully satisfying existence in the wonderland of New York City. Given her upstanding family name and seemingly endless wealth, connections come easily for this pretty, charming girl and after catching the eye of Andy Warhol (Guy Pearce), her pending journey into the world of art, mayhem and madness is launched.

Thoroughly delighted by Edie’s winsome ways and thoroughly enjoying Andy’s idolizing attention, the duo embarks on a symbiotic relationship that teeters on the edge of obsession. Their co-dependency suits them just fine . . . until the mysterious and brooding “Musician” (Hayden Christensen) catches Edie’s eye. Predictably, Warhol sees Edie’s relationship with the Musician as tantamount to defection and the seemingly perfect pair suffers a painful split that spirals Edie into a world of chaos, depression and despair.

As good as all that sounds, no matter which way you slice it, pitting the oh-so-victimized Sedgwick against the legendary Andy Warhol and the iconic Bob-Dylan-esque “Musician” is a filmmaking misstep of highest proportion. Portrayed as fragile, put-upon and helpless against the forces of her life, Edie Sedgwick doesn’t have the ability to carry out even the most mundane details of her daily existence let alone a Hollywood film.

However, despite flawed structure and a script that only scratches at the surface of pool of fathomless depth, Factory Girl is riddled with wonderfully dead-on performances. Straddling the line between villain and betrayed best friend, Guy Pearce does a pitch perfect imitation of the quirky but undeniably cool Andy Warhol. Covering Warhol’s motivations with a layer of thick ambiguity, Pearce maintains an impenetrable mystique from start to finish.

As the Musician, Hayden Christensen is Warhol’s perfect foil. Equal in prowess and iconic status, the scene the pair shares in the recess of the Factory is a perfectly executed, full-blown battle of male egos. However, Christensen manages to balance his swagger with vulnerable intimacy scenes with Miller that deliver some of the most powerful, some of the most heartfelt and deep moments of the film.

The leading lady herself, Sienna Miller, does the best she can with a role more weak than strong, a woman more acted upon then acting. While playing Edie demands a certain lack of inhibition and a free-spirited openness, Captain Mauzner’s shallow script limits Miller’s ability to range, roam and ultimately prove herself stoically and powerfully tragic. The film leaves you applauding Miller for her chutzpah but wanting her to do and be so much more.

Ultimately, Factory Girl is a graphic, impressive and engrossing flurry of images but – as Edie’s journey hints at – image isn’t everything.