Dirty Shirley is a dreamy yet nightmarish road movie blending romantic landscapes with surreal TV game shows, both a tribute and critique of American cultural myths. The Director plays a distorted, alcoholized version of Shirley Temple—forever smiling in an clown-like performance. The film follows Pierrot’s dream, centering on the parodic identity quest of “Who is Dirty Shirley?”—a question explored through masquerade, alterity.A male Dirty Shirley emerges, not as travesty but as a reflection of otherness, culminating in a haunting final scene where Dirty Shirley encounters her own demise in the arms of her alter ego. As the psychedelic odyssey unfolds across Colorado’s barren landscapes, the film suggests that identity is not what we possess, but what we surrender to others.

Costumes / Julie Béna    Dop / Kryštof Hlůže    Editor / Sebastián Kučkovský    Music / Oliver Torr    Sound / Jan Pavel    Story / Julie Béna    Writer / Julie Béna

Completion date / March 2025

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