Personal Velocity (film)

From AwardAnnals

Reviews

Amazon.com

Personal Velocity is actually three short digital films, a trio of superb character portraits: Delia (Kyra Sedgwick, Something to Talk About, Singles), a former bad girl who musters the will to leave her abusive husband; Greta (Parker Posey, Party Girl, Best in Show), a book editor who finds that success in her career leaves her dissatisfied with her unambitious husband; and Paula (Fairuza Balk, The Craft, Gas Food Lodging), a young woman whose narrow escape from a car accident makes her question her life. With small, deft touches, writer-director Rebecca Miller (Angela) reveals a lot of about who these women are and how they live. Miller’s gift for compression turns these short stories into rich examinations of contemporary culture, finding humor as well as pathos in the choices these women face. All three actresses turn in outstanding performances, clearly delighted to embody such well-drawn characters. —Bret Fetzer

Related works

Personal Velocity

Rebecca Miller

Rebecca Miller’s powerful debut, Personal Velocity, explores the multifaceted lives of women in seven arresting portraits. Given a glimpse of the secret self of each character, we see the surprising shape of her life created as she hurtles through it. Modern and diverse, these women of different classes and ages struggle with sexuality, fate, motherhood, infidelity, desperation, and an overriding will to survive.

We meet Greta, a cookbook editor who is chosen by Thavi, the hottest writer of his generation, to edit his new book. The book becomes a best-seller, and Greta is propelled out of her marriage by her own ambition and success. Other characters include Nancy, a psychologically troubled nine-year-old girl growing up within New York high society; Delia, an abused wife who goes into hiding with her children; and Louisa, a painter who moves rapidly from one lover to the next, acting out a self-perpetuating drama over which she has no control. Two stories, “Bryna” and “Julianne,” recount the same night from different points of view. At Julianne’s dinner party, filled…