Emily Dickinson

(On Cable TV, May 2020) The greatest thing about the democratization of filmmaking is the possibility for new voices, oddball sensibilities and very specific subject matter to be made available to all paying audiences. So it is that Wild Nights with Emily is nothing less than a strange mixture of literary arcana, LGBTQ optics and awkward comedy taking as a topic the life of Emily Dickinson. It takes roughly thirty seconds before Dickinson French-kisses another woman, and that sets the tone of historical facts blended with modern sensibilities. Molly Shannon stars in an atypical historical role but a rather familiar awkwardness. Wild Nights with Emily is clearly a work of passion in making a historical literary figure relevant to modern concerns, addressing issues of LGBTQ erasure along the way. But there are two significant limits to its effectiveness what will make it beloved by its target audience, and a bit confounding to others. For one thing, you do have to like its brand of off-beat often-ironic humour—which is not always intended to be funny. For another, this is the kind of film that works best if you like and know about Dickinson: while she’s a significant literary figure, a quick read through her Wikipedia page may be indicated before watching the film—as much as I loathe to assign homework before watching a film.