Review of Damsels in Distress (2012) by Indiefilmlover — 20 May 2012

Easily the weakest of Stillman's first four features, "Damsels in Distress" plays like an odd Ivy League reworking of the 1980s cult film, "Heathers." The problem lies with the Violet character (played by Greta Gerwig).

Violet is strange to the point of suggesting mental illness and without a strong access character to counterbalance her the audience is left with no one in which to identify. The closest we have to that character is Lily (Analeigh Tipton), the new girl in Violet's social circle, who sees her with fresh eyes.

Meanwhile, the other ladies, Heather (yes, Heather) and Rose are woefully underdeveloped characters. They have no significant role in the plot, except perhaps serving as eye candy for campus frat boys (and the audience).