Rating: 2.5/5
Two sisters, the astronomer Ellen (Lee Grant) and the kooky gal Cissy (Carol Kane), live together in a rundown LA mansion a la Grey Gardens. While Ellen is away at work or buying groceries, Cissy is home idolizing her deceased explorer father, dressing like she just moved to Asheville and playing with her mafu
Cissy’s mafus keep dying — the last one was an orangutan that Cissy beat to death with a chain — so Ellen and their godfather — the person who supplies Cissy with mafus — make a plan to keep her from hurting any more animals while Ellen goes on a trip
If Ellen won’t give Cissy a mafu, she’s going to have to find one for herself
The copy of the movie I watched looked like a VHS rip, so I lost a good bit of the action in the dark scenes, but nothing significant
Carol Kane does a full blackface getup — her fetishization of Africa knows no limits — and the movie is predominantly Kane chewing scenery
I don’t love it, but the movie captures an unnerving dynamic that I can’t say I’ve seen portrayed this way