LWIFF & MARILYN

Interview with Marilyn has been nominated for Best Original Concept at the 2021 Lonely Woolf International Film Festival in London, UK.

The distinction was revealed a week before Christmas Day on Social Media and the film has been lauded for its originality in dealing with different current issues like the Celebrity Cult and the Illusions of Showbusiness, as well as the American Dream.

The festival also publishes a review of its nominated films, and the one they did of Interview with Marilyn is the Best Review the film has gotten so far.

Adrian Perez, of the Lonely Wolf International Film Festival, wrote that: “Agatino Zurria's character creation in Marilyn Moreno couldn't bring forth a more weighty ordeal in scratching the psychopathology of stardom, or worse, the delusion of it at the hands of covert narcissism, idolatry, and fictophilia. This modern-day Latin Marilyn lights a torch for a generational crisis, one in which many of us suffer from celebrity worship syndrome, in which many of us desire to become rich, famous, and good-looking.”

Adrian also talks about the director’s choices: “Zurria's final frame composition of a stranded, broken, Latin-American migrant and Marilyn-impersonator waiting for the bus under the dark of the moon will give you the chills. Interview With Marilyn's a powerful socio-cultural critique of an entire generation incarcerated by the fantasy of their non-hostile narcissism, which makes them fall victim to showbiz scams, sextortion, and mental inflation, which leads to excessive self-monitoring, low trait self-esteem, toxic perfectionism, and ultimately ego death.”

The article ends by praising the director and its leading actress: “Zurria's concept analysis is exceptional, endearingly executed through black-and-white Classical Hollywood aesthetic, tempo-rhythmic tenacity, and Rosalinda Rodriguez's infectiously charming performance, where she pushes past her Marilyn Monroe facade into her unique quirks and personal magnetism. Zurria's 2021 dramedy's mystical, relevant and irresistible to watch. Bravo!”