Please Baby Please
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Please Baby Please'' is a 2022 American
musical Musical is the adjective of music. Musical may also refer to: * Musical theatre, a performance art that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance * Musical film Musical film is a film genre in which songs by the Character (arts), charac ...
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
film directed by
Amanda Kramer Amanda Kramer is a United Kingdom-based American composer and touring musician. Kramer first gained prominence as a member of the techno-pop band Information Society and later performed with other alternative rock and new wave groups such as 10, ...
, who co-wrote the screenplay with Noel David Taylor. It stars
Andrea Riseborough Andrea Louise Riseborough (born 20 November 1981) is an English actress. She made her film debut with a small part in ''Venus'' (2006), and has since appeared in more prominent roles in '' Brighton Rock'' (2010), '' W.E.'' (2011), '' Shadow Dan ...
, Harry Melling, Karl Glusman, and
Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After rising to prominence in the early 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. List of awards and nominations received by Demi Moore, Her acc ...
. The film had its world premiere at the
International Film Festival Rotterdam International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on independent and experimental films. The inaugural festival took place in June 1972, ...
on January 26, 2022. It was released to positive reviews in the United States on October 28, 2022, by
Music Box Films Music Box Films is a distributor of foreign and independent film in theatrical, DVD/Blu-ray, and video-on-demand markets in the United States. Based in Chicago, Music Box Films is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corpo ...
.


Plot

On the
Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...
of Manhattan, a gang called the Young Gents stop in front of an apartment building and begin beating a couple to death, only stopping when Teddy whistles for them to stop because a shocked-looking couple, Arthur and Suze, have stopped in front of the apartment. As the other members of the Young Gents interrogate Arthur and Suze for information about where they live, Arthur and Teddy stare at each other, entranced. Suze tells the gang which apartment they live in. Later, Suze and Arthur host their friends Ida, Baker, and Les in their apartment. Suze recounts their encounter with the Young Gents while Arthur is mocked by Baker and Les for his refusal to "be a man." A conversation about gender performance and expectations ensues, where Suze reveals a desire to "be
Stanley Kowalski Stanley Kowalski is a fictional character in Tennessee Williams' play '' A Streetcar Named Desire''. In the play Stanley lives in the working-class Faubourg Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans with his wife, Stella ( DuBois), and is employe ...
" and expresses delight at the violence caused by the Young Gents, which ends when Arthur loudly proclaims his anxieties about manhood and how he feels judged equally by men and women. After Baker, Ida, and Les leave, Arthur and Suze clean up their apartment and Suze begins dancing, coaxing Arthur to dance with her. The two dance next to each other until Suze grabs a bottle, miming it being between her legs like a penis. Arthur takes the bottle from her and Suze prostrates at Arthur's feet and begs him to let her worship him. As Arthur takes the trash out he finds a blood-stained matchbook from The Blue Angel Club, which he imagines Teddy's face in; Arthur walks towards the bar. As Suze watches Arthur walk away, she hears a neighbor calling for help from the hallway. Maureen hands Suze grocery bags and they walk up to her apartment. Maureen tells Suze that she's seen Arthur around but does not say where. Maureen expresses disgust for the appliance her husband buys for her and says that she wants a big, messy painting to take up a wall in her apartment. Suze tells Maureen about the incident with the Young Gents and Maureen waxes poetic to Suze about the nature of men. Interrupting Maureen and Suze's conversation is Billy calling from the streets for Maureen's keys, who Maureen tells Suze is taking her out. Maureen shares that she is in trouble and will be travelling to Europe, and gives her keys to Suze to watch the apartment while she's gone. At the Blue Angel Club, Arthur stares longingly at Teddy from across the bar as the Young Gents mess around at the bar; Arthur watches Teddy and the bartender flirt with each other. A young woman at the bar, Joanne, tries to get Arthur to dance with her until Dickie, a member of the Young Gents, puts his hand on Joanne's shoulder and shows her his drawings. Joanne expresses interest in Dickie, who becomes upset when Joanne won't blow him a kiss. Arthur follows Teddy into the bathroom where he and a bartender went. Arthur walks into the bathroom and awkwardly washes his hands until Teddy ushers for the bartender, who he was sensually embracing, to leave the bathroom. Teddy tells Arthur that he remembers him from "2B," and asks where Suze is. Teddy begins flirting with Arthur, sharing that he does not have a father or "a way of being at all." Arthur confronts Teddy about the murder the Young Gents committed and Teddy confronts Arthur about being married to Suze. Teddy reveals that the Young Gents are preparing for a big fight and Arthur implores him not to. Teddy smiles at Arthur and grabs his chin gently; they imply that they'll see each other again. Suze has the first of three fantasy sequences in the film, where she dances in Maureen's apartment while the Young Gents writhe around her in underwear and fetish gear. Suze comes back to reality, watching Les recite poetry as Baker accompanies him on the drum. The room is filled with fellow beatniks, as well as Dickie and Joanne. Dickie is deeply moved by the poetry while Joanne laughs loudly at it, eventually causing Les to stop and ask them to leave. An argument about etiquette breaks out between Dickie, Les, Baker, Ida, and Joanne and Dickie almost lashes out as Joanne. Baker realizes that Dickie is one of the street killers Suze told him about. Suze throws several glass bottles at Dickie as Arthur hides his face. Suze and Ida walk down the streets after having left the party and Suze expresses a desire to be considered "imposing." Ida muses about the nature of womanhood, marriage, and female friendship while Suze describes what she'd do if she was a man. They stop in front of a phone booth that is occupied by Billy in full drag, crying on a payphone and begging their lover to let them come back. Suze cries as she watches them on the phone. Suze and Arthur sit terrified in bed as the Young Gents whoop and holler outside of their window. Arthur and Suze discuss the nature of changing and evolving over the course of a life after Suze admits that she'd like to be someone else, which concerns Arthur. Suze asks Arthur if he loves her, and he tells her he "loves erfor now" and that he worries about who she's becoming. Someone throws Arthur's clarinet through the bedroom window. Suze declares that she is going to confront the Young Gents as Arthur begs her not to get involved. As Arthur closes the door, Gene and Lon are revealed behind the door. Gene opens the closet door to reveal Teddy, who is bloodied and beaten. Teddy hangs onto Arthur as he asks him if the Young Gents can hide out in his apartment. Suze returns to the apartment, and Lon takes her keys out of her hand as the Young Gents leave. Suze screams in fury. Suze has another fantasy sequence where the Young Gents all line up to brand Suze with an iron as she writhes and hisses in pleasure. Arthur strokes his robe and attempts to clean Teddy's blood off it. He gets dressed, in a suit and tie, spitting at his reflection in the mirror. Suze and Arthur sit at the Blue Angel Club, attracting the attention of Billy, who sits at their table. The three have a discussion about gender expectations, and Billy flirts with Arthur, telling him that he has a theory about life and he'll tell Arthur "some blue night." Suze demands he tell her the theory and Billy smirks, telling Arthur and Suze that they both act "queer." Suze screams, flips the table, and grabs Arthur's hand to leave. Suze rants to Arthur about Billy's insinuation, stopping when they come across the Young Gents stripping Joanne's fathers’ car. Joanne challenges the Young Gents to a contest where they have to be vulnerable with their feelings. Teddy volunteers, monologueing about the pressures of being compared to other men. Joanne is moved by this and Lon stabs her in the neck, killing her. Arthur yells out in horror and Teddy runs over to him and Suze. Teddy warns them that the Young Gents are targeting them and he can't get their apartment keys back to them. Suze offers to trade their keys for Maureen's, so the Young Gents can steal her stuff, and Teddy says he will try to get the swap; he affectionately says goodbye to Arthur. Suze and Arthur return home, and Arthur kisses Suze after she repeats something Teddy said to them earlier. Suze runs into Billy as they walk up the stairs, who tells Suze his theory from the Blue Angel - that humans are "on a dying planet full of impossible obstacles." Suze has her final fantasy sequence- Teddy and Dickie kiss at and stroke Suze as the rest of the Young Gents gyrate around her. Suze whispers 'please, baby, please" several times. Suze goes through Teddy's leather jacket, grabbing a ticket stub and leaving the apartment. Arthur talks to his father on the phone and begs him not to visit them in the city. Arthur tells his father about how he has tried to meet the expectations society has on him as a man; Arthur's father sympathizes with him and assures him that he will not visit. Suze arrives at the theatre that Teddy's ticket stub was for, which is a gay porn theater. The ticket taker makes her pay more to enter because she's a woman. Suze enters the theatre and starts asking about Teddy; one person asks if Teddy is Suze's husband. Suze says that he is, and proceeds to share her feelings on the nature of relationships, and laments that she doesn't know how to satisfy her husband. Suze then asks a man sitting in the back, who says that he knows of the Young Gents. The man reveals himself to be a cop who is about to bust the theater full of "criminal queers" and advises Suze to leave, which she does. Arthur looks for Suze and runs into Teddy. Teddy asks Arthur if he wants to "lose control" and tells him that he could be his "favorite;" he also asks Arthur if he's ever thought about other men before, which Arthur silently confirms. Teddy and Arthur embrace as a wedding party exits a hall and dance. The bride bumps into Arthur and condescends to him about Teddy. Teddy proceeds to beat the groom up while Arthur watches, terrified and aroused. Arthur hides his face in pillows on his and Suze’s bed. When he hears Suze come home, Arthur tells her that there is nothing wrong with either of them, they just need to "figure it out." Arthur, Ida, Baker, and Les sit in Arthur and Suze's apartment as Suze dances. Suze continues to quote Marlon Brando and Ida yells at her to stop. The Young Gents barge into the apartment and hold everyone hostage. Lon returns Suze's keys to her and she gives him Maureen's keys in exchange. Gene leaves to rob Maureen's apartment and leaves Teddy, Dickie, and Lon to watch the hostages. Lon mocks Arthur for marrying Suze and Suze stabs him to death. She yells at Ida, Baker, and Les to leave, and reminds Dickie that Lon killed Joanne. Dickie punches Suze in the eye, saying that she has been asking for it; Teddy tells Arthur that they will be back to take care of Lon's body. Suze sits in a chair while Arthur crawls to her and kisses her feet, mirroring the earlier scene in the kitchen. Suze goes to Maureen's apartment where she finds the remaining Young Gents dead, as well as Billy and Maureen's husband, who Suze saw at the porn theater. Maureen remarks that she's "nobody's wife" as Suze smokes a cigarette. Some time later, Arthur conducts an orchestra as images of Suze and Teddy appear on screen. The final scene is a split screen - one side shows Suze, sporting a short haircut and black eye, dressing up in Teddy's clothes; the other side shows Arthur dancing all the way home and into his apartment. The split screen wipes away when Arthur enters his bedroom, where Suze and Teddy are. Arthur and Teddy kiss passionately while Suze embraces Arthur from behind as she looks at the camera.


Cast

In the feature audio commentary on the Blu-ray release of the film, Kramer confirms that
Chris Eigeman Christopher Eigeman (born March 1, 1965) is an American actor and film director. Eigeman is best known for roles in films written and directed by Whit Stillman: '' Metropolitan'' (1990), ''Barcelona'' (1994), and '' The Last Days of Disco'' (19 ...
is the voice of Arthur's father on the phone in a scene."Feature Audio Commentary". ''Please Baby Please'' (2022) Directed by Amanda Kramer. lu-ray, MBS-005 Chicago, IL: Music Box Films. Director Amanda Kramer makes an uncredited cameo as a sailor in the bar scenes.


Production

Amanda Kramer and Noel David Taylor wrote the screenplay in 2018; Kramer has said that she was able to convince producers to finance the film by calling it "the gay ''
West Side Story ''West Side Story'' is a Musical theatre, musical conceived by Jerome Robbins with music by Leonard Bernstein, lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a Book (musical theatre), book by Arthur Laurents. Inspired by William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo an ...
''," which Kramer described as "a lie" and "a Halloween trick"."Cast and Crew Q&A from LA Premiere." ''Please Baby Please'' (2022) Directed by Amanda Kramer. lu-ray, MBS-005 Chicago, IL: Music Box Films. In November 2019,
Maya Hawke Maya Ray Thurman Hawke (born July 8, 1998) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of Hollywood actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. She began her career in modeling, and subsequently made her screen debut as Jo March in ...
,
Charlie Plummer Charlie Faulkner Plummer (born May 24, 1999) is an American actor. He began his career as a child actor in short films and made his feature film debut in David Chase's drama '' Not Fade Away'' (2012) before landing a lead role in ''King Jack'' ( ...
, and
Andrea Riseborough Andrea Louise Riseborough (born 20 November 1981) is an English actress. She made her film debut with a small part in ''Venus'' (2006), and has since appeared in more prominent roles in '' Brighton Rock'' (2010), '' W.E.'' (2011), '' Shadow Dan ...
joined the cast of the film, with Kramer set to direct the film In October 2020,
Demi Moore Demi Gene Moore ( ; née Guynes; born November 11, 1962) is an American actress. After rising to prominence in the early 1980s, she became the world's highest-paid actress by 1995. List of awards and nominations received by Demi Moore, Her acc ...
, Harry Melling, and Karl Glusman joined the cast of the film, with Hawke and Plummer no longer attached. In November 2020,
Ryan Simpkins Ryan Simpkins (born March 25, 1998) is an American actress, known for their performances in '' Pride and Glory'', ''A Single Man'', '' Revolutionary Road'', and the ''Fear Street'' trilogy of films. Career Simpkins' first film appearance wa ...
, Karim Saleh,
Jake Choi Jake Choi (born January 14, 1985) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Miggy on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC comedy ''Single Parents (TV series), Single Parents''. He previously starred in ''Front Cover'', an LGBTQ in ...
, Matt D'Elia, Jake Sidney Cohen,
Cole Escola Cole Escola (born November 25, 1986) is an American comedian, actor, singer, and playwright. They are best known for their cabaret work and appearances on the television series '' Difficult People'' (2015–2017), '' At Home with Amy Sedaris'' ...
,
Jaz Sinclair Jasmine Sinclair Sabino (born July 22, 1994) is an American film and television actress. She is known for her portrayal of Rosalind "Roz" Walker in the Netflix series ''Chilling Adventures of Sabrina'', Angela in ''Paper Towns'', Anna in '' When ...
,
Dana Ashbrook Dana Vernon Ashbrook (born May 24, 1967) is an American actor, best known for playing Bobby Briggs on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) and its 1992 prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me''. Early life Ashbrook was ...
, and
Mary Lynn Rajskub Mary Lynn Rajskub () is an American actress and comedian who is best known for portraying Chloe O'Brian in the action thriller series '' 24'' and Gail the Snail in ''It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia''. Rajskub was a regular cast member on HBO' ...
were cast in the film.
Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
began in
Butte, Montana Butte ( ) is a consolidated city-county and the county seat of Silver Bow County, Montana, United States. In 1977, the city and county governments consolidated to form the sole entity of Butte-Silver Bow. The city covers , and, according to the 2 ...
, in October 2020. At one point the production was shut down for "a very long weekend" due to a
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...
outbreak on set.


Release

''Please Baby Please'' had its world premiere at the
International Film Festival Rotterdam International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) is an annual film festival held at the end of January in various locations in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, focused on independent and experimental films. The inaugural festival took place in June 1972, ...
on January 26, 2022. In June 2022,
Music Box Films Music Box Films is a distributor of foreign and independent film in theatrical, DVD/Blu-ray, and video-on-demand markets in the United States. Based in Chicago, Music Box Films is independently owned and operated by the Southport Music Box Corpo ...
acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released theatrically in the United States on October 28, 2022. The film began streaming on
Mubi Mubi (; stylized as MUBI; the Auteurs before 2010) is a global streaming platform, production company and film distributor. MUBI produces and theatrically distributes films by emerging and established filmmakers, which are exclusively available ...
in the United States on March 3, 2023, and in most other territories on March 31, 2023. It is set to be released on
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for digital video disc or digital versatile disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any ki ...
, in addition to a special edition
Blu-ray Blu-ray (Blu-ray Disc or BD) is a digital optical disc data storage format designed to supersede the DVD format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released worldwide on June 20, 2006, capable of storing several hours of high-defin ...
by
Vinegar Syndrome Vinegar Syndrome is an American home video distribution company which specializes in "protecting and preserving genre films". The company was founded in 2012 in Bridgeport, Connecticut by Joe Rubin and Ryan Emerson, who created it to restore ...
, on May 30, 2023. The official motion picture soundtrack was released on November 22, 2023 featuring the score composed and performed by Giulio Carmassi and Bryan Scary.


Reception

Drew Gregory of
Autostraddle Autostraddle is a queer and trans-owned online magazine and social network for lesbian, bisexual, and queer women ( cis and trans), as well as non-binary people and trans people of all genders. The website is a "politically progressive queer fem ...
gave the film a positive review, calling it "an exploration of gender entirely on its own terms, entirely on ''our'' terms," citing the film's "broad and stylized" dialogue, and praising Escola and Riseborough's performances. She did, however, criticize the treatment of Sinclair's character Joanne, writing, "Kramer utilizes a degree of violence largely absent from the more cartoonish nature of the rest of the movie. She doesn’t seem to consider the implications of this shocking violence happening to the one Black woman character."


Accolades

''Please Baby Please'' won the 2022
Outfest Outfest is an LGBTQ-oriented nonprofit that produces two film festivals, operates a movie streaming platform, and runs educational services for filmmakers in Los Angeles. Outfest is one of the key partners, alongside the Frameline Film Festival ...
Grand Jury Award for North American Narrative Feature and was named one of the "10 Best Unsung LGBTQ Films of 2022" by
GALECA The Dorian Awards are general and LGBTQ-themed accolades for excellence in film, television and Broadway / Off-Broadway, as voted by the members of GALECA: The Society of LGBTQ Entertainment Critics. GALECA is an association of professional jour ...
. The film also receive a 2023
Queerty ''Queerty'' is an online magazine and newspaper covering gay- and LGBTQ-oriented entertainment and news, founded in 2005 by David Hauslaib. As of June 2015, the site had more than five million monthly unique visitors. History ''Queerty'' was ...
nomination for best Indie Movie.


References


External links

* * {{IMDb title 2022 films 2022 drama films 2022 LGBTQ-related films 2022 musical films 2020s American films 2020s English-language films 2020s musical drama films American LGBTQ-related films American musical drama films English-language musical drama films Film productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films about gender Films directed by Amanda Kramer (director) Films set in the 1950s Films set in apartment buildings Films set in Manhattan Films shot in Montana LGBTQ-related musical drama films