Empire Waist

Empire-Waist
Empire Waist

Where was Empire Waist when I was in middle school? I definitely would have lapped up a plot where a plus-size diligent student had a special interest and Missi Pyle and Rainn Wilson as her doting parents. This is the representation that has been missing in Hollywood and media for so long. But in all good faith, Empire Waist does struggle with its intersectionality.

The film, which Claire Ayoub of Upright Citizens Brigade writes, tells the story of Lenore (Mia Kaplan), an overweight and introverted high school girl who dresses all in black to blend in. While she tolerates her peers, her fitness-focused mother, and her supportive but naive father, she reveals herself to be an aspiring fashionista. Her vibrant clothes, however, stay locked in the wardrobe. When her science instructor assigns her a partner an assured David Bowie fan, Kayla (Jemima Yevu) for a project, her secret is out and the newcomer wants her to focus on her gifts to enter a national student contest.

Soon Lenore is sewing garments for other outcasts at the school who are not even regarded by the fashion industry (Tina portrays Kids’ Fashionista, about the same age as her, a tall, adorable klutz, while Marcy is a witty wheeled activist Daisy Washington and Diamond is a rebellion minded genius poorly statuesque who is Kassandra Tellez). While the girls contribute to Lenore’s entry, there is always Sylvie around every corner ready to overshadow their contribution.

And this is a nice, very naive sort of film. The costumes are age-appropriate and done very well thanks to designer Francesca Roth. Also, Rainn Wilson portrays a delightful goofy father to Lenore and works extremely well with Missi Pyle who has delivered a performance we have never seen from her before which is endearing. The chemistry between Kayla and Lenore is believable as that relationship seems cozy, yet Empire Waist does not quite fit all.

The film does not quite succeed in crafting an appropriate tone for itself. The parts of the asylum where the dialogues are sometimes overly silly and cliched with some drama qualities bring to mind the 2000’s direct-to-video American Girl Doll antics and films. Often dramatic moments swing towards melodramatic and some elements of it’s marginalized representation merit second consideration. Particularly we first encounter a pivotal trans character hiding in a rubbish bin as her introduction.

There is a backstory given to Kayla but the character feels at times like she fits into the trope of the more sizable and black best friend to the main character who happens to be bigger too. The character arcs of Marcy and Diamond and the growth of these characters are also non-existing.

Again, having seen how some H’wood actors swoon into the same plus-size attribute without dissecting and deconstructing it, I must say she follows through some basic off-the-shelf tropes. There is no depth to the story in this film for Ayoub who can even be called the writer of this work understood the target audience for this work. In one scene one can see juvenile remarks made to the character of Lenore, but it is more countered by some skanky remarks that seem to target an older audience.

This film had so much potential and I think with a clearer tone and better lines, it could potentially be a beautiful film for an entirely new generation of girls, something like Dumplin’ or Moxie. The film, Empire Waist, however, though not without its flaws, has something special about it which makes it an interesting watch and worth the praise.

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