A first-time filmmaker managed to collect an impressive roster of prominent comedy stars for Idiotka, offering a satirical look at the fashion industry and reality television.
Writer-director Nastasya Popov’s movie debuted at last year’s SXSW and has since been playing the festival circuit ahead of its planned theatrical release later this year from Utopia. Anna Baryshnikov stars as Margarita, who lives in her Russian family’s crowded home in a less glamorous section of West Hollywood and considers competing on a reality show for aspiring fashion designers.
Baryshnikov, who is known for the series Dickinson and is the daughter of famed ballet dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov, leads a cast that includes such prominent performers as Camila Mendes, Mark Ivanir (Emilia Pérez) and Galina Jovovich, a Russian star whose daughter is Milla Jovovich. Additionally, the film features a supporting cast of rising comedic talent, including Julia Fox (Uncut Gems), Benito Skinner (Overcompensating), Owen Thiele (Adults) and rapper Saweetie.
During an onstage conversation following Idiotka’s screening at the Palm Springs Film Festival on Sunday, Popov offered insight into how the indie project scored such a notable cast for her directorial feature debut. Popov, who grew up with Russian immigrant parents, enlisted a mutual friend to pass along an early draft of the script to Baryshnikov, with the actress then involved in further shaping the lead character. After Baryshnikov filmed a sizzle reel to help the project land funding, Mendes signed on to produce and star.
“Camila was friendly with Benny [Skinner], and he’s of course amazing,” Popov said. “And then I showed up at Julia Fox’s book talk and handed her a letter. It was very DIY and grassroots, but I think our approach was always, ‘We’re making a movie in L.A. What’s the worst they’ll do? They’ll say no to us. So let’s try to get every cool, funny person that we can.’ Enough said yes that then it just became this gorgeous ensemble.”
Popov noted that she shot the film in part at her grandmother’s apartment in Los Angeles. While the movie features dramatic scenes as Margarita navigates her challenging family baggage, it also takes advantage of the comedy that arises from poking fun at reality TV tropes, particularly the onscreen judges and their outsized personalities. Popov cited Project Runway and HBO’s streetwear-focused competition series The Hype as helping to inspire the narrative and comedy.
“It was funny to me to see the evolution of the fashion reality show, and then also think about reality TV as an engine for how artists these days are all expected to just basically bare our soul on a platter,” Popov said. “That’s just right for comedy and also very true to our world and was fun to explore.”
In her review of Idiotka for The Hollywood Reporter, critic Angie Han wrote, “Popov has a great feel for the easy warmth coursing between every member of the family, even in moments of strife, and the cast share a fun and comfortable chemistry.”
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