‘Longlegs’ (2024)
What it’s about: In ‘Longlegs,’ the audience first meets protagonist Lee’s mother through a brief one-sided phone call. Perkins’ script initially seems to posit the initially unseen figure as a minor background detail in the life of Maika Monroe’s rookie FBI agent, a symbol of a world she left behind to join the force. But when Alicia Witt’s Ruth — cold and religious, but clearly someone who deeply love her daughter — eventually makes her way onscreen, it becomes clear that she’s far more important than first impressions promise. ‘Longlegs’ is an illusive and cold movie, but lurking underneath its unnerving story of the hunt for a serial killer is a surprisingly sad tale of the twisted, brutal decisions that a mother needs to make for her daughter’s safety.
Who it’s for: The religiously traumatized, birthday lovers and birthday haters, and anyone who’s spent their life creeped out by dolls.
What it says about motherhood: Being a great parent is all about sacrificing yourself — and others for the sake of your little girl. —WC