ಠ_ಠ

September 25, 2014 7:43 AM

“Aspirational,” by Michael Frost for Vs. Magazine

"Vs. Magazine cover girl Kirsten Dunst stars in what is NOT your typical fashion film. Between late Ubers and selfie-obsessed fangirls, Kiki gives us a tongue-in-cheek look at celebrity culture and social media... Next time you take a selfie with your favorite star, think twice - unlike the girls in this film.

vsmagazinelive.com
posted by Fizz (28 comments total)

I love this! I can never get enough of Kiki.
posted by sweetkid at 8:01 AM on September 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

It was well done and it makes me feel terrible inside.
posted by SharkParty at 8:12 AM on September 25, 2014 [5 favorites]

Metafilter: It was well done
Reddit: and it makes me feel terrible inside.
posted by Fizz at 8:14 AM on September 25, 2014

Watch this video, even if you seldom watch video links. Dunst's face, at the end of this very short video, perfectly registers the sadness so many of us feel when we observe this kind of social-media-sabotaging-actual-human-contact phenomenon that has been written about so much.
posted by kozad at 8:41 AM on September 25, 2014 [3 favorites]

Well that was depressing.

Well done, though.

On a meta note, the young actresses in the film will now gain status in the industry due to having appeared in a film with Kirsten Dunst.
posted by Tell Me No Lies at 8:49 AM on September 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

I finally found a site that would let me watch this, and was impressed by how short it is. If it had been on SNL, they would have made it at least five minutes longer.
posted by Kirth Gerson at 8:50 AM on September 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

The cracked phone screen sealed it for me. Excellent stuff.
posted by JoeZydeco at 8:52 AM on September 25, 2014 [4 favorites]

who is kiki?

the loneliness of celebrity has been talked about a lot before. This was pretty poignant, but I wish they had tied it into the past instead of framing the cellphones as the problem. This could have been made 20 years ago with autograph books. I think that probably celebs use seclusion to protect themselves, but that doesn't mean they are happy. I wonder how they really feel? I've never seen a celeb but my understanding is that the most polite thing to do is just ignore them as hard as possible.
posted by rebent at 8:54 AM on September 25, 2014 [1 favorite]

Kiki is Kirsten Dunst's nickname. She did the voice of Kiki in the animated movie Kiki's Delivery Service, but I think the nickname was with her before that.

Like people call Lindsay Lohan "LiLo"...
posted by sweetkid at 9:01 AM on September 25, 2014

"Lost in Translation" was my favourite part.
posted by wyndham at 9:35 AM on September 25, 2014 [5 favorites]

This was pretty poignant, but I wish they had tied it into the past instead of framing the cellphones as the problem.

Part of the film is making a point about celebrity worship, but I do think the filmmaker is also saying something specific about smartphone culture. I've noticed that people seem to feel entitled to capture people and events on their cellphones. Cute animals, car accidents, fights, and people having mental health episodes.* Anything is up for consumption. It is then posted to Instagram or Facebook for likes and is promptly forgotten. Nevermind that you might be having the worst day of your life and had to take public transit with soiled pants or whatever. You're in public and it's therefore the other person's right to take a picture.

*I acknowledge that smartphones have also been a godsend in many other situations.
posted by Rora at 9:36 AM on September 25, 2014 [3 favorites]

sometimes when my generalized anxiety disorder and depression flare up in a way that sends me half into a panic attack, I isolate myself from social interactions by burrowing into my phone

sorry if that ruins your dinner or something
posted by saucy_knave at 9:41 AM on September 25, 2014 [5 favorites]

saucy_knave: and we did that with books or journals before there were portable phones. The new thing, I think, is that people can distance themselves from those around them while acting out the ritual of being hyper-engaged. It's not that someone stares at a phone instead of talking, it's that they position themselves for a self portrait to prove they interacted, instead of interacting.
posted by idiopath at 9:52 AM on September 25, 2014 [8 favorites]

we do that with small talk now, right? how much of a 'for real lifelong friendship' type interaction are you going to get from a celebrity? is the point being made here that every celebrity/stranger you meet should want to be emotionally invested in you 100,00% and you should interact with them in such a way that enables lifelong companionship?
posted by saucy_knave at 9:56 AM on September 25, 2014

is the point being made here that every celebrity/stranger you meet should want to be emotionally invested in you 100,00% and you should interact with them in such a way that enables lifelong companionship?

What? No one here is saying that. If you want to interact with a celebrity, you can at least acknowledge the celebrity as a human being instead of as a prop for your selfie.
posted by Rora at 10:04 AM on September 25, 2014 [6 favorites]

If you want to interact with a celebrity...

Maybe there's some subtext there. Everyone has a shortlist of celebrities they'd love to meet, but what exactly do you have to say if you were presented the opportunity?

Somehow I think most interactions would end up like The Chris Farley Show.
posted by JoeZydeco at 10:52 AM on September 25, 2014

Everyone has a shortlist of celebrities they'd love to meet, but what exactly do you have to say if you were presented the opportunity?

I freely confess to having figured out this sort of thing in advance so I wouldn't be coming across as a babbling jerk.

You hear that, John Cusack? I'm ready. Call me!
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 11:05 AM on September 25, 2014 [3 favorites]

"I've never seen a celeb but my understanding is that the most polite thing to do is just ignore them as hard as possible."

Or... just treat them like regular people.

Due to some family connections, I get to hang out with celebrities once in a while. Sometimes at big events, or on a set, where nearly EVERYONE (except me) is a celebrity and the vibe is movie/big-eventish ...nothing natural about it at all, which is what everyone expects.

But sometimes it's just at someone's house for a friendly dinner, or at a 4 year old's birthday party, and people are just people, they talk about many of the same things the rest of us talk about, have the same concerns, fuss over the kids... and are generally friendly and kind. Perhaps I've been lucky in terms of who I've connected with, but I have found that just refusing to anoint them with the "celebrity" tag, and pretending they are human, works pretty well.
posted by HuronBob at 11:19 AM on September 25, 2014

"Everyone has a shortlist of celebrities they'd love to meet, but what exactly do you have to say if you were presented the opportunity? "

HA...

So, I'm sitting on set during the filming of "300", three director's chairs set off to the side, me, my wife, and this disheveled looking guy in a suit named Frank Miller. We're watching as they are filming the scene where the Spartans are racing into conflict with the Immortals. All green screen, a lot of intricate choreography. In walks my kid with this good looking guy and brings him over to introduce him to us, it was Gerard Butler. My wife starts to trip over her tongue figuring out what to say to him and finally blurts out, "It's an HONOR to meet you." He just stood there, had no idea what to say, finally bursts into laughter and says "Of COURSE it is!", and gives her a hug.

Bottom line... say whatever you want, they will probably be amused by your efforts...
posted by HuronBob at 11:32 AM on September 25, 2014

I used to work in the building where Kristin Wiig lived and we used to complain about the elevator.

I don't think this short is about "what would you do if you met a real celebrity" though - those girls barely knew who she was and just wanted to get something up on Instagram that would get a ton of likes.
posted by sweetkid at 11:35 AM on September 25, 2014

Everyone has a shortlist of celebrities they'd love to meet, but what exactly do you have to say if you were presented the opportunity?

So, what brings you here? is usually a good starting point.
posted by furtive at 11:46 AM on September 25, 2014

When I see famous people in close proximity (very rarely) I enjoying acting like I have no idea who they are and usually say something asinine-smalltalky about the weather. I think it's how I'd want to be treated if I was famous, but it's fun to see them staring at me to see if I am for real, or acting like a normal person.
posted by Lardmitten at 12:02 PM on September 25, 2014

I'm not sure who all deserves the blame if people's first instinct on seeing a celebrity is to pose in front of them like they were some kind of historic landmark, but I have a hard time pinning the blame entirely on those two girls.
posted by straight at 12:39 PM on September 25, 2014

"Don't be in love with the autograph, just be in love when you love that song!" ~ Cat Power
posted by Fizz at 12:43 PM on September 25, 2014

Two things this brought to mind:

1. I used to work in politics, and it always baffled me how people would scramble to get a picture of themselves with politicians. This was before social media was huge, so it was mostly just to go on their office wall or in a photo album. And yeah, I guess that's cool and maybe makes you look like a big shot, but it always seemed weird to me. Like, wouldn't you rather actually have a conversation with this person you admire than take the same picture they take with every other schmoe? Literally all the picture says is "look at me! I shared air with this person for one second!"

2. Several years ago, I was walking into my gym, and this woman was walking out who looked a lot like a young actress who is not Kirsten Dunst but who occupies the same cultural role and has the same level of fame as Kirsten Dunst. As I made eye contact with her, she smiled/grimaced in a way that very clearly communicated "hello, I don't want to be rude, but pretty please do not ask me if I'm me." So I just smiled back and went through the door. I got into the reception area, and the women working there were freaking out because , sure enough, it had been that famous actress. All I could think of was that brief look she'd shot me, and how many times a day she must have to use it.
posted by lunasol at 1:40 PM on September 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

One of the better "how do I talk to a celebrity" stories I ever heard was something Carrie Fisher did when she found herself attending the same party with Mick Jagger. She also was torn between the "do I acknowledge it's Him" response and the "do I treat him like just a normal person" response. And the compromise she struck was that at some point, when they found themselves both next to the Cheetos or whatever, she leaned into him and excitedly whispered, "hey, you know what? Someone told me Mick Jagger is here! Isn't that cool?"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 2:09 PM on September 25, 2014 [13 favorites]

I've met a couple celebrities, and it's always been kind of awkward. It's way better talking to a celebrity's mother... they LOVE hearing how great you think their kid is.
posted by buriednexttoyou at 5:29 PM on September 25, 2014 [2 favorites]

I think "how to act when you meet a celebrity" is a highly contextual thing. I've met a couple, and in most cases it was at an obvious "I am a celebrity meeting people" public event where they sort of were braced for the possibility of people losing their shit as it was (David Tennant at a stage door, Douglas Adams at a book signing, etc.). That's when I busted out the "love your work and you're generally awesome" kinds of comments.

I've also met a couple of celebrities in more mundane circumstances - like, putting Henry Winkler on hold when he asked to speak to my boss, or giving Jeff Goldblum directions to an elevator. And in those cases, they were people trying to Achieve A Thing, and I just helped them do the thing. Jeff Goldblum wasn't "Jeff Goldblum" in that moment, he was "a guy who just wants to find his way to the flippin' elevator". So I just helped him find his way to the elevator; if he'd been in a hurry, my gushing about Buckaroo Banzai or whatever may have pissed him off. I've also heard of people trying to get autographs from celebrities while they were peeing or in the shower at a gym, and....just....no. They're celebrities, but that doesn't make them not be people.

I've heard three awesome celebrity encounter stories, though, and one is from a celebrity - Adam Savage said on one of his podcasts that he was out riding his bike and happened to see Joie Lee standing on the sidewalk. He peddled up to her and excitedly asked, "Excuse me, are you Joie Lee?"

"I am."

And Adam gushed, "I Love you!....Have a great evening!" and then just rode off.

A friend of a friend also once ran into Steve Martin, and all he could think to say was to blurt out, ".....Hi!" in a very surprised tone. And Steve Martin apparently just grinned a bit and in the exact same tone, said, "......Hi back!"

But my father kind of tops them both - he was wandering around on Martha's Vineyard one summer and happened to see Spike Lee was coming towards him on the sidewalk. Dad waited until they were just about to pass each other, and then Dad looked him in the eye and asked, "okay, was it the shoes?" And Spike cracked up and shook his hand.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:51 AM on September 29, 2014