Charlie Says

This film tells the story of three women who are jailed for murdering strangers.

Instead of drilling the details of the murder, the plot concentrates on the brain washing done by Charles Manson and its devastating effects on the women. The result is an engaging story of how the women get to the brainwashed state, which most people will struggle to understand.

"Charlie Says" (2018 release; 101 min.) brings the story of the Charles Manson murders, but this time for the perspective of the three "Manson women" involved in the killings. As the movie opens, one of the women is taking a shower, the blood coming off of her hair and body. We then go the "3 Years Later", and we see the three women in jail at the California Institution for Women, on a separated wing with just the three of them: Lulu, Sadie and Katie. A graduate student at UC Santa Cruz is given the opportunity to teach these three some classes. When then go back in time, to when Leslie (later named Lulu by Manson) arrives at the remote ranch where Mason and his entourage live... At this point we are 10 min. into the movie, but to tell you more of the plot would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest from Canadian director Mary Herron, who previously brought us the worthwhile "I Shot Andy Warhol" and, even better, "American Psycho". Here she revisits the events that are often referred to as "having ended the 60s" (the murders took place in August, 1969). The film is based on several books, including the one written by the graduate student on specifically Leslie/Lulu, but there are certainly additional source materials on the Manson women. Indeed the eternal question seems to be: are these women victims themselves? are they just part of the gang that committed these vicious killings? The movie attempts to address that, and while at times it shows promise, in the end the movie lacks depth and what we are stuck with is something that certainly isn't a bad movie, but given the underlying facts, it feels more like a missed opportunity. Leslie/Lulu is played with conviction by up-and-coming British actress Hannah Murray. Manson is played by Matt Smith as if he's Jim Morrison (check out Smith instead in that other recent indie movie "Mapplethorpe"). Beware: there is a fair amount of nudity in the film, so if that is a concern for you, better stay away and check out another film.

"Charlie Says" premiered at last Fall's Venice film festival to ho-hum reaction, and is now getting a limited US theater release. It opened at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati this weekend for just a one week run. The early Sunday evening screening where I saw this at was attended so-so (7 or 8 people). Maybe this will find a larger audience as it is launched on other platforms. If you have any interest in the Manson murders, and in particular the women that were involved in it, I suggest you check this out, be it in the theater (unlikely), on VOD, or eventually on DVD/Blu-ray, and draw your own conclusion.

When I first met Charlie, I just knew. Hopped on a bus and I never looked back.

Charles Manson seems to be a hot topic this year. Not only there's the Tarantino movie "Once upon a time ... in Hollywood" in which the Manson Family plays a prominent role, but also this "Charlie Says" focuses on this cult leader from the 60s. It's rather a docu-drama in which the person Manson himself isn't really the central topic. Rather, it's the female members of the Manson family who receive the most attention. A mixed bag of vulnerable, somewhat naive young girls who probably don't realize that Manson's sermons are pure nonsense due to the abundance of soft drugs and the eating of not so kosher mushrooms. Delusions presented by a confused mind. A despotic person and a bundle of contradictions.

The actresses Hannah "Game of Thrones" Murray, Sosie Bacon and Marianne Rendon, who played the characters Leslie van Houten, Patricia Krenwinkel and Susan Atkins respectively, acted generally convincingly. The way these young ladies accept their fate while sitting in adjacent cells waiting for their death penalty is not only frightening but also shows how brainwashed they are by the Machiavellian Manson. Their empathetic attitude towards the horrific facts shows how convinced they are that nothing criminal has been committed by them. In their eyes, it was a necessary thing to do. But mainly because "Charlie said it". Hence the title of this film.

The biggest disappointment is Charles Manson himself, played by Matt Smith. The character lacked charisma. Apart from his sometimes eccentric reasonings and tantrums, I didn't get the idea of dealing with a psychopathic, manic person here. Rather he's a strange hippie with a fake beard who prefers to strum a guitar and who enjoys how the young girls gawk at him full of adoration. Furthermore, I am not a fan of flashbacks. And let that now be the basis of this film. So expect a huge amount of back and forth jumping in time. However, if you aren't familiar with this Manson phenomenon and what this insane cult leader is guilty of, "Charlie Says" is an excellent starting point to discover it. Perhaps the film scores high in originality by showing the whole from the point of view of the female cult members. But still, I recommend watching the films "Helter Skelter" from 1976 and "The Manson family" from 2003.

More reviews here: movie-freak.be

Based on the novel 'The Family' by Ed Sanders, this is one of three films in which Charles Manson featured in 2018, and a film about the Moors Murders would complete a trilogy by director Mary Harron beginning with 'I Shot Andy Warhol' depicting women provoked into irrational violence by an unwarranted infatuation with a weird control freak (Brady and Manson both had in common with their idol Adolf Hitler that they possessed the egotism and disdain for convention of great creative geniuses but not the actual creativity).

There's a surprising amount of God talk by Manson and his coven, and for once the current fashion for swaying steadicam photography suits the lack of balance shown by this unholy trinity of impressionable young ladies.

This movie shows a side of the story that hasn't been depicted before. That is enough to appreciate the premise.

Charles Manson was a very sexist and racist man. He used, manipulated, and brainwashed both young women AND men who he could tell were naive and vulnerable.

Anyone who has thoroughly researched the Manson family will know the women were treated worse than in this film. One disturbing example is they weren't allowed to eat until after the dogs. Feminism was really at it's zenith in the late 60s. Representing feminism in the film is realistic to the time period.

These women would have never murdered had they not crossed paths with Charles Manson. Of that, there is no doubt in my mind. Many people were living in communes at the time. The members of "The Family" ended up in the wrong one, not knowing what lay ahead, not knowing they were being groomed by a sadistic madman.

This movie isn't excellent, but it does not deserve a 5.6. Voting it down because you don't like feminism is a very very sad point of view.

6.5/10