{"id":31053,"date":"2026-05-22T09:24:37","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:24:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/msfilmfestival.fi\/?post_type=movies&p=31053"},"modified":"2026-05-22T09:24:37","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:24:37","slug":"desperately-seeking-susan","status":"publish","type":"movies","link":"https:\/\/msfilmfestival.fi\/en\/movies\/desperately-seeking-susan\/","title":{"rendered":"Desperately Seeking Susan"},"content":{"rendered":"

Plunging into the whirlwind of 1980s yuppie culture and underground aesthetics, this iconic screwball-style comedy-drama draws its energy from the traditional role-reversal setup. Roberta (Rosanna Arquette), a housewife lost in her daydreams bangs her head and, through a series of misunderstandings, ends up in the shoes of the more bohemian Susan (Madonna) testing the benefits of a more bourgeois lifestyle.<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the key influences for this feminist film classic masterfully blending crime and fantasy plots was Jacques Rivette\u2019s <\/span>C\u00e9line et Julie vont en bateau <\/span><\/i>(1974), but Seidelman<\/a> was also inspired by <\/span>Alice\u2019s Adventures in Wonderland <\/span><\/i>(1865), which she had read as a child: Roberta is likened to Alice, Susan to the White Rabbit, and the heart of Manhattan to worlds of magical possibilities.<\/span><\/p>\n

For Seidelman<\/a>, it was also \u201ca love story between two women \u2013 minus the sex\u201d, and the film\u2019s true strength lies in its<\/span> excellent <\/span>casting<\/span><\/i>: the naturally feisty Madonna \u2013\u00a0 the director\u2019s neighbour at the time \u2013 here making her first major film role and having risen to international superstardom at the time the film was being shot, and Arquette, on her way to the top but more ambivalent in her expression. The cult status of this hit film was further enhanced by its extroverted costumes and unique visual style, which flooded young women’s wardrobes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lauri Timonen<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Plunging into the whirlwind of 1980s yuppie culture and underground aesthetics, this iconic screwball-style comedy-drama draws its energy from the traditional role-reversal setup. Roberta (Rosanna Arquette), a housewife lost in her daydreams bangs her head and, through a series of misunderstandings, ends up in the shoes of the more bohemian Susan (Madonna) testing the benefits… View Article<\/a>","protected":false},"featured_media":31051,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-31053","movies","type-movies","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","filters-35-mm-en","filters-english-dialogue","filters-puhuttu-tai-tekstitetty-suomeksi-en","filters-tekstitetty-ruotsiksi-en"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nDesperately Seeking Susan — Midnight Sun Film Festival<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Plunging into the whirlwind of 1980s yuppie culture and underground aesthetics, this iconic screwball-style comedy-drama draws its energy from the traditional role-reversal setup. 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