IndieWire’s headline was amazing: “#LightOfMyLife Trailer: Casey Affleck Directs Himself in Post-Apocalyptic Drama About World Without Women.” Casey Affleck was accused of sexually harassing female coworkers several years back. Two women filed civil lawsuits against him, and he settled both out of court through mediation. Those cases were briefly discussed in 2016-17, when he was campaigning for an Oscar for Manchester by the Sea, a campaign which would ultimately be successful as all of the white bros of Hollywood lined up to support Affleck. But still, there’s an asterisk by Casey Affleck’s name and while he’s addressed the settled cases and spoken some words about #MeToo, I’ve never really gotten the sense that he actually did learn anything. So… it’s kind of funny that noted sexual-harassment-case-settler Casey Affleck would want to direct a movie about “a world without women.” Those pesky bitches just need to be edited out of the narrative. That’s what Casey learned: just make movies with only dudes.
For his long-awaited followup to his controversial feature directorial debut, “I’m Still Here,” Casey Affleck picked a bit of a strange premise to tackle: a post-apocalyptic drama about a world without women. The actor and filmmaker settled two lawsuits in 2010 accusing him of sexual harassment and other forms of misconduct during the making of “I’m Still Here.” Despite the lawsuits being settled, Affleck has faced scrutiny over his behavior in the wake of the #MeToo and Time’s Up anti-harassment movements.
When he debuted his latest film, “Light of My Life,” at the Berlin International Film Festival earlier this year, he hit back at queries regarding its genesis. “It’s not. I wrote this movie and made this movie before all of those things became part of the conversation,” Affleck said at the film’s festival press conference about the film being a response to his personal history. “I hope people keep their minds open and be responsible and measured in their reactions. And people can talk for themselves. It’s not something I can control.”
One thing to talk about in purely cinematic terms: Affleck’s apparent affection for other post-apocalyptic and survivalist dramas that hinge on the relationship between parent and child, like “The Road” and “Leave No Trace.” Both films appear to have influenced “Light of My Life,” which follows Affleck as a father attempting to hide his daughter after a plague kills the rest of the world’s female population.
“…After a plague kills the rest of the world’s female population…” The real plague was toxic masculinity, SPOILER. I loved the comment that this is “INCEL: The Movie.” Yes, very much in that vein. Here’s the trailer:
Photos courtesy of WENN.
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