‘The Scary of Sixty-First’ Review: An Unforgettable ‘Eyes Wide Shut’ Revision for the QAnon Age

Christian Blauvelt
·6 min read
IWCriticsPick
IWCriticsPick

Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival. Utopia Distribution releases the film in theaters on Friday, December 17.

There’s alchemy at work in Dasha Nekrasova’s debut film “The Scary of Sixty-First,” the kind that can turn what’s old into what’s new. Equal parts ’70s-style paranoia thriller, Polanski-infused apartment horror, “Eyes Wide Shut” homage, and empathetic critical commentary on the conspiracy theories craze, this hallucinatory pastiche is even more than the sum of its cinematically riveting parts.

More from IndieWire

Addie (Betsey Brown) and Noelle (Madeline Quinn) are apartment-hunting in New York City. That alone is the stuff of horror. But in their case they find an ideal place right away — a shockingly cheap flat on the Upper East Side. They commit to it on the spot, despite an odd tarot card being left behind that suggests some ominous symbology. (Anyone who’s moved into a Manhattan pad and discovered a Pentagrama Esoterico sign on the wall and thought “What’s that about?” can relate.)

One day, an unnamed woman knocks on the door (Nekrasova herself, simply credited as “The Girl”), and tells Noelle, who seems to have nothing going on but loafing around the apartment all day, that they’re living in one of Jeffrey Epstein’s properties. It might even have been one of the places where he kept some of the young girls he trafficked in sexual slavery. This sordid history certainly explains their low rent.

Noelle and The Girl bond quickly, leaving Addie out of their galaxy-brained musings, as they plunge down a rabbit hole of Epstein-related conspiracy theories glued to their screens while laying side-by-side on an air mattress. Inevitably, a romance between Noelle and The Girl blossoms, making “The Scary of Sixty-First” one of the few films really to explore the erotics of conspiracy theories: the couple that travels into the intellectual dark web together, stays together. By the time The Girl asks, “Have you heard of Pizzagate?”, you know the die is cast.

Addie, neglected in all this and shut out from her roommate’s conspiratorial musings, seems to actually be living out a conspiracy theory. If Epstein carried out his vile misdeeds at this apartment, Addie seems somehow to be channeling that history: While having sex with her beta-male boyfriend (Mark H. Rapaport, also a producer on the film, who seems very aware of the movie’s tongue-in-cheek nature), her personality regresses to the age of one of Epstein’s victims. It seems like an incident of supernatural possession, but the BF sees it as a bit of roleplaying that’s gone too far and censors her, mid-coitus, for engaging in politically incorrect sex. She also starts masturbating to images of one of Epstein’s highest-profile companions: Prince Andrew, eighth in line to the British throne.

If all of this seems poised between chilling and laughable, that’s intentional: Cinematographer Hunter Zimny, making his leap to DP after working various other behind-the-camera roles (including as the grip on “Dick Johnson Is Dead”), shoots “The Scary of Sixty-First” on 16mm. There’s a kind of metallic sheen to all the images, even as bright neon colors dominate the frame near the blood-soaked ending — the kind of affect that gives the feel of people looking in on their own lives, even as they’re trying so hard to be active participants. His camera, often moving around the characters, or situated at low or high angles in relation to them, seems to spy on them. The pulsing electro score by Eli Keszler, who worked with Daniel Lopatin on “Uncut Gems,” adds to the feeling of characters whose hearts are pounding, terrified of their situation, but clueless about their next moves.

Though Nekrasova makes her directorial debut here, she’s been well known for several years as a co-host of the podcast “Red Scare,” which provides a foundation for the movie’s concerns. On the show, a discussion of politics may swerve into dating advice and sex tips followed by critical commentary of Scorsese’s essay for Harper’s, or some anti-Ronan Farrow screed, or… an interview with Steve Bannon. Nekrasova and co-host Anna Khachiyan (who plays “Ghislaine Maxwell doppelgänger” in the movie) are Socialists in the strictest sense: They view the landscape of American politics and culture through an economic lens, where elites control the discourse because they control the capital. Someone like Epstein represents the most extreme excesses of an unaccountable one percent. That also means they’re skeptical of “woke” discourse as an enervating distraction from looking at those economic foundations: They’ve praised Trump for dispensing with racial sensitivity (while condemning him for offering nothing to replace it) and regularly call out the #MeToo movement (along the lines of Camille Paglia, one of their clearest influences).

But Epstein is a recurring focus of “Red Scare” because of the systematic nature of his trafficking pipeline, and his ties to people who literally have their hands on global levers of power. “The Scary of Sixty-First,” as much as it parodies conspiracy theorists, also demonstrates a remarkable empathy for them — the most one can find in any modern film beyond “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm.” In that movie, two QAnon adherents, Jim and Jerry, were nice enough to house Borat for days on end, while hateful enough to say they felt Democrats were the biggest threat to America. More than anything, it seemed they wanted a connection, to be part of something, to feel less lonely — and QAnon provided that. Nekrasova seems to understand something similar about the possibility for connection and fulfillment that conspiracy theories, such as those swirling around Epstein’s death, provide. Where there are such inequities, such obvious hypocrisies, staring us in the face, meaning has never seemed more elusive. And if we’re talking about meaning in our lives, eventually death has to be discussed as well: blood-spattered horror is a logical conclusion, then, for this story.

Much will be made about the connection of “The Scary of Sixty-First” to “Eyes Wide Shut.” But the movie that more closely touches its urbane blend of erotics, affable female friendship, and a search for answers in a world with so many puzzling questions is really “Celine and Julie Go Boating,” Jacques Rivette’s quasi two-hander about a pair of young French women caught up in the need to narrativize the discordant strands of their lives. “Go Boating” in French is an expression that means something akin to “being taken for a ride.” And in “The Scary of Sixty-First,” Nekrasova takes us on one that’s thrilling and unforgettable. Where will she take us next?

Grade: A-

“The Scary of Sixty-First” premiered at the 2021 Berlin Film Festival.

Best of IndieWire

Sign up for Indiewire's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next
  • Up next

Latest Stories

  • UPDATE 1-Foreigners add net $32.7 bln to EM portfolios in March -IIF

    The IIF banking trade group said flows were positive for both bonds and equities last month, with equities absorbing $10.2 billion and debt $22.5 billion. The data showed it was the first time since September 2021 that China and ex China, bonds and equities, posted simultaneous monthly inflows. China stocks took in $1.7 billion and bonds $2.1 billion.

  • Goaltender Ivan Fedotov signs a two-year, $6.5M deal with the Flyers after long journey to the NHL

    PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Goaltender Ivan Fedotov signed a two-year, $6.5 million contract with the Flyers on Tuesday, landing a short-term commitment in the NHL less than a month after joining the team and nine years after his complicated and secretive journey to Philadelphia began. Fedotov made his long-awaited Flyers debut earlier this month after being selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft. He was able to join the team after CSKA Moscow terminated his contract in Russia’s KHL. The 27-yea

  • Defencemen injuries are already piling up early in the NHL playoffs

    Deep NHL playoff runs Jason Demers went on during his playing career usually ended the same way. “The injuries just accumulated too much,” he said. “And then you’re just not playing at 100%.” That attrition is already showing early in the first round this spring at Demers' old position, as defences have been depleted by existing and new injuries, from Tampa Bay’s Mikhail Sergachev and Colorado’s Samuel Girard being out long term to Carolina’s Brett Pesce going down Monday night and Washington be

  • Most actively traded companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange

    TORONTO — Some of the most active companies traded Tuesday on the Toronto Stock Exchange: Toronto Stock Exchange (22,011.72, up 139.76 points): Enbridge Inc. (TSX:ENB). Energy. Down two cents, or 0.04 per cent, to $48.41 on 13.4 million shares. Barrick Gold Corp. (TSX:ABX). Mining. Up 29 cents, or 1.29 per cent, to $22.80 on 8.3 million shares. TC Energy Corp. (TSX:TRP). Energy. Up two cents, or 0.04 per cent, to $49.21 on 7.7 million shares. Ivanhoe Mines Ltd. (TSX:IVN). Mining. Down 89 cents,

  • S&P/TSX composite rises, U.S. stock markets also climb ahead of tech earnings

    TORONTO — Canada's main stock index rose nearly 140 points Tuesday, led by strength in technology stocks, while U.S. stock markets also climbed. The rally was led by technology stocks, with the Nasdaq rising 1.6 per cent. That’s likely in anticipation of earnings reports around the corner from some of the biggest tech names, said Brianne Gardner, senior wealth manager of Velocity Investment Partners at Raymond James Ltd. All eyes will be on companies like Meta, Microsoft and Alphabet as they rep

  • UK basketball transfer Amari Williams ‘a man among boys on the court,’ Mark Pope says

    Former Drexel forward Amari Williams was officially announced as a transfer portal addition by Kentucky on Tuesday.

  • NYC government workers of color paid less than white colleagues, study says

    Black, Asian and Hispanic NYC government workers continue to be paid less than their white colleagues, a disparity driven by a persistent pattern of low wages for women of color in the municipal ranks, according to a new study release by the City Council on Tuesday. The study reflects salary levels across all municipal positions as of 2021, the latest period for which data is available. As of ...

  • Dow Jones Futures: Stock Market Rallies Again; Tesla Jumps On Affordable EV As Elon Musk Looms

    The rally attempt gained steam Tuesday, but big tests loom. Tesla leapt as it signaled a cheap EV is on track. Elon Musk is on deck.

  • UPDATE 1-Chile sees record copper production next year

    Chile is expected to produce a record 5.8 million metric tons of copper in 2025, the state-run Chilean Copper Commission (Cochilco) said on Tuesday. The forecasts for this year and next are above the yearly average seen over the last decade and signal the beginning of a "recovery cycle" for Chilean copper mines, Cochilco's Executive Vice President Joaquin Morales said in the statement. Chile controls nearly a quarter of the global copper market, but production has suffered in the past two years with output from state-owned mining giant Codelco falling to its lowest level in a quarter century amid project delays.

  • With PWHL playoff spot secured, Toronto remains focused on improving little things

    TORONTO — With a Professional Women's Hockey League playoff spot secured, Toronto remains focused on improvement over its final three regular-season games. Toronto returned from the international break with a loss against Boston on Thursday and a win against Montreal at Bell Centre on Saturday that clinched its post-season berth. Tuesday was the first time most of the team got to practice together, with some players having rest and recovery days following the women's world championship. "It's no

  • Trump lawyer ‘losing all credibility’ amid heated exchanges with judge

    Donald Trump’s lawyer was accused of “losing all credibility” in a bruising exchange with the judge overseeing the former president’s hush-money trial.

  • Tesla to speed up roll out of cheaper electric cars

    Tesla is speeding up plans for a range of cheaper cars as Elon Musk’s electric vehicle maker attempts to take on a wave of cut-price Chinese manufacturers.

  • Border Force ‘not safe for women’, spy chief’s privacy warning, Gaza ‘mass graves’ claim

    A secret report lays bare sexual harassment and bullying in marine unit; Mike Burgess to say rights are ‘not absolute’ in fight against extremism

  • Man who died in Tarrant jail sought help for schizophrenic episode before arrest, family says

    Anthony Johnson’s family said he noticed a schizophrenic episode starting Friday. He tried to get help but was turned away. He was arrested that day and died in the Tarrant County Jail on Sunday.

  • US STOCKS-Wall Street closes higher as investors digest earnings, megacap outlook

    U.S. stocks closed higher on Tuesday following positive earnings from top-tier companies and as investors were focused on quarterly results from Magnificent Seven and other megacap growth stocks. Tesla kicked off the earnings cycle for technology heavyweights after markets closed on Tuesday, announcing the launch of new electric vehicle models and quarterly revenue that missed analyst estimates. Markets were also buoyed by upbeat earnings from companies such as General Motors, which closed up 4.4% after the automaker's better-than-expected quarterly results.

  • Glastonbury founder Sir Michael Eavis makes surprising claim about Prince Harry as he is knighted

    The Duke of Sussex once "jumped the fence" to sneak into Glastonbury Festival, the festival’s founder Sir Michael Eavis has claimed.

  • What is curtailment? An electricity market expert explains why states sometimes have too much wind or solar power

    Sometimes wind and solar power produce more electricity than the local grid can handle. Better energy storage and transmission could move extra energy to where it’s needed instead of shutting it off.

  • Boundary-breaking ‘Battlestar Galactica’ actor Terry Carter dead aged 95

    After becoming the first black man to become a series regular on a sitcom in the 1950s, ‘Battlestar Galactica’ actor Terry Carter has died aged 95.

  • B.C. government sets November date for Surrey police transition

    VANCOUVER — British Columbia's government has set Nov. 29 as the date when the Surrey Police Service will take over from the RCMP as the city's force of jurisdiction. Solicitor General Mike Farnworth says Surrey RCMP will continue to operate and provide support after the official transition, although the Mounties will determine what type of support will be offered. Farnworth says the transition is taking place under existing provincial and federal procedures and does not require any rule changes

  • Tesla Earnings Fall To Lowest Level Since 2021. Tesla Stock Surges Late.

    Tesla announced worse-than-expected first-quarter earnings and revenue Tuesday, with the EV giant reporting its lowest quarterly EPS since 2021. Tesla reported Tuesday that Q1 earnings fell 47% to 45 cents per share. Analysts projected Q1 earnings falling more than 42% to 49 cents per share with sales declining nearly 5% to $22.22 billion.