Lolita and the Oscars

I was going to post the first of my unboxings from this weekend, however, I’m having problems with my laptop, so this will have to wait, unfortunately. However, whilst we’re still in the middle of the awards season, why not have a look at which of this year’s nominated films might be appropriate for a lifestyle Lolita? There are only so many Lolita-specific films for us to watch and I strongly believe that being ladyline, which is a big part of Lolita lifestyle, is about being cultured and educated. And in modern days, being cultured and educated is about films as much as it is about books or formal education. So let’s find ourselves something appropriately aesthetic to watch!

Phantom Thread (period drama)

I remember seeing the trailer for this and thinking to myself “Ooooh, this looks very interesting!’. Set in London’s 1950’s world of couture, this already has plenty of appeal to Lolita enthusiasts by being in the world of the elegant fashion from a period now highly regarded as one of the eras with most feminine clothing. The film itself is focused on Reynolds Woodcock (Daniel Day-Lewis), a fashion designer, and Alma (Vicky Krieps), a waitress with whom he develops a relationship, creative as well as romantic. However, I feel like this film will be far more about Reynolds’ relationships with women in general: Alma as his lover, his sister, his mother whose death haunts him to the point that he stitches hidden messages inside the garments he makes… As well as about the obsessive nature of Reynolds as a designer, something which many creative people are portrayed as. One thing is certain: I want to watch this!

The Shape of Water (fantasy drama)

We all know that Guillermo del Toro’s films are beautiful, even if the aesthetic is sometimes more eerie than conventionally pretty. And as with most of his films, you’d rather know as little as possible before watching to fully enjoy the plot. But we can say that the story of a woman rendered mute, Elisa (Sally Hawkins), and her relationship with a mysterious water creature (Doug Jones) hidden away by the US government with the intention to exploit it will be something touching. I haven’t seen it yet, although I really want to, but I’m guessing that the film will explore the theme of being othered by the society, both towards Elisa through her disability, and the Amphibian Man since society can’t possibly consider him human, which many Lolitas could relate to on some level. If you’ve seen it already, let me know in the comments what you thought!

I, Tonya (biographical black comedy)

This may probably be the least aesthetic film for Lolitas, aesthetic purely by the virtue of figure skating involving lovely costumes. On the other hand, if you approach Lolita fashion as something that is feminist, then watching films about women and by women (Margot Robbie, who plays the main part, also produced the film) is just as fitting of the Lolita lifestyle as the aesthetic. Who knows, maybe we’ll even find some resemblances to petty drama from our own communities – or stop ourselves from being bitchy rivals and nurture sisterhood and friendship instead? Idealistic, but not impossible.

Loving Vincent (animated biographical drama)

Now this is aesthetic in its purest form! A film about Vincent van Gogh’s life entirely painted in his style is bound to be mesmerising and a true feast for the eyes, especially for fans of his artwork. This may be a lot harder to see in cinemas, since the film was released a while ago now, but check out your local independent cinemas which are likely to be in full award-season swing and may show this. I was also pleasantly surprised to find out that the film is made by a predominantly Polish team, so I’ll aim to watch it for this as well. Polish cinema very rarely gets anything genuinely good coming out of it, but I feel that this will be something different.

Victoria & Abdul (biographical comedy period drama)

With so many Victorian influences on Lolita fashion, can we really pass up on an opportunity to see the second longest reigning British monarch? To me this film is interesting more because it brings the non-white parts of the British Empire closer to the viewer. The history of the British Empire isn’t really taught in the UK, making people view it with rose tinted glasses and ignore all of the atrocities. But while I seriously doubt that this film will shock the viewers with these atrocities, it is bound to touch on the issue of racism, as prevalent now, albeit subtler as it was back in Queen Victoria’s times. So on top of being a pretty period drama with lovely costumes and Dame Judi Dench’s wonderful talent, it will also be educational and explore a previously little known aspect of the famous queen’s life.

The Greatest Showman (period musical)

This one I have already seen and although it was only nominated in the Best Song category, I thought it was phenomenal and great fun! It might not be the most thought-provoking film, but it can get a little heavy with those during the award season, so something lighter like this is welcome every now and then. Everything, from the script and cast to costumes, music and choreography is where it needs to be – if you’re into Circus Lolita, there’ll be plenty of inspiration for you! And the nominated song, This Is Me, has become somewhat of a Lolita anthem to me, it just inspires confidence in showing the world who you are and making it accept you exactly as you are. Very pretty, very uplifting and entertaining film to watch.

Beauty and the Beast (Disney – yes, that’s a genre now)

I was going to avoid talking about it, since it seems so obvious, but it actually wraps this lineup quite nicely. It’s common for Lolitas to be into Disney films, since they already fill our need for a certain princess aesthetic, and this remake of the animated classic was very highly anticipated. And although I was worried, when I finally did watch it, I enjoyed it. It’s not as captivating as the animated version and I’m still iffy about the choice to cast Emma Watson as Belle, but visually this was a lot more stunning and detailed than the animated one and gave us a better (if still idealised and askew) glimpse into that period in history. And with Disney films you always know what you get yourself into, so again, if you get overwhelmed by the more serious, thought-provoking Oscar nominees, this should give you a break.

As Lolita lifestyle would generally favour historical films and period dramas, I should’ve included films like Darkest Hour or Dunkirk – however, whilst they’re both great films with plenty of merit and value, war films are not particularly fitting the Lolita aesthetic and I understand why someone might not want to watch these. So they get a little honourable mention, but don’t actually make the list.

How do you feel about these? Inspired to watch any of them? Or maybe you already have seen some from this list or any other Oscar-nominated film? I’m always interested in people’s opinions on award-nominated films, they can be a little polarising sometimes, so it’s great to get an insight into both sides of the coin.