On the eve of the long-awaited premiere of The Devil Wears Prada 2, the Vogue Ukraine editorial team talks about their favorite films with the legendary Meryl Streep: from the piercing drama Kramer vs. Kramer of the 70s to The Iron Lady of 2011.
“From Africa”
The film “Out of Africa” is a true masterpiece of 20th-century cinema, captivating with its meditative atmosphere and love story set against the backdrop of colonial Kenya. Its main strength lies in the visual component: each frame looks like a living painting, and panoramic shots of the African savannahs from a bird's eye view are breathtaking. The impeccable style of the film deserves special attention, where Meryl Streep's elegant costumes in the “safari-chic” style perfectly emphasize the character of her strong and independent heroine. The acting, in particular the chemistry between Streep and Redford, adds depth to the plot, making the drama sincere and poignant. John Barry's musical accompaniment completes this aesthetic experience, turning viewing into a real journey through time and space.
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Violetta Fedorova, editor-in-chief of vogue.ua
“Kramer vs. Kramer”
Kramer vs. Kramer (1979), directed by Robert Benton, is one of the most subtle divorce dramas. Joanna, played by Meryl Streep, leaves home, leaving her husband Ted, played by Dustin Hoffman, with their young son Billy. From this decision, a story about love, guilt, fatigue, parenthood, and a woman's right to choose how to live her life unfolds. Hoffman brilliantly guides his character from a self-confident workaholic to a father who learns to make breakfast, listen to his child, fear for her, and put her above his own ambitions. Streep's character appears infrequently, but every scene with her keeps the tension high. She accurately conveys the shame, exhaustion, tenderness, and despair of a woman trying to understand who she is outside the role of mother and wife. “Kramer vs. Kramer” is worth watching for the great acting from Streep and Hoffman, the French toast scene, little Justin Henry as Billy, and the honest and forthright plot that shows divorce as a difficult and painful experience.
Marina Shulikina, website editor
“Death suits her”
Robert Zemeckis's “Death Becomes Her” is often mistakenly classified as a frivolous black comedy, alongside the glossy fantasies of the 1990s about eternal youth. In fact, it is one of the most accurate and brutal satires on the cult of appearance, shot before the era of filters and injections, but as if it anticipated it.
At the center are two women, actress Madeline and writer Helen, who are at war not only with each other but also with their own reflection in the mirror. The struggle for youth and for a husband, a plastic surgeon who himself looks more tired than his patients, quickly goes beyond common sense and into the realm of almost gothic fantasy.
Zemeckis works on the border of genres: farce, body horror and self-mocking melodrama. But the main thing here is the ruthless logic of the fairy tale: if you want eternal youth, you will get it. It's just that the price will be physical.
Meryl Streep and Goldie Hawn play archetypes, two versions of female anxiety taken to the point of absurdity. And it is Streep who becomes the center of this story – cold, narcissistic, almost caricatured in her perfection, she plays the very idea of the fear of aging. Next to her, Goldie Hawn is her distorted mirror, traumatized and obsessed with revenge.
Svitlana Manukyan, social media editor
Florence Foster Jenkins, 2016
Meryl Streep demonstrates brilliant comic talent, acting flexibility and self-irony in the tragicomedy “Florence Foster Jenkins”. The film is remembered much less often than her popular films “Mamma Mia!” or “The Iron Lady”, but the picture is definitely worth paying attention to. Streep plays a real woman Florence Foster Jenkins – a New York socialite who, despite having a terrible voice, has dreamed of becoming a world-famous opera singer since childhood. Jenkins, who lived in New York at the beginning of the 20th century, went down in history as a representative of “marginal music”, who became famous for her complete lack of musical ear, sense of rhythm and singing talent. In her image, Streep causes irritation and sympathy at the same time.
The brilliant duo in the film by Metril Streep is Hugh Grant, St. Clair's blindly devoted husband, who does everything in his power to ensure that Florence never finds out how ugly she sings. But that is until she announces her plans to perform a concert at Carnegie Hall – one of the most prestigious venues in the world for classical music. In 2017, the film was nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe.
Dariya Slobodianyk, culture editor
“Julie and Julia”, 2009
This film happened to me during a period of my passion for cooking. I watched “Spice and Sauce” and “Chef Adam Jones” and took up “Julie and Julia”. Importantly, this film tells the story of real-life chef Julia Child, who introduced Americans to French cuisine and convinced millions of women (and not only) that restaurant-quality dishes can be prepared in the home kitchen. Of course, if Meryl Streep had not played the iconic chef, it is unknown whether her character would have become famous in pop culture. Still, Streep's natural magnetism and her ability to flirt with the viewer are what inspire her characters to make their lives brighter.
Valentina Anokhina, website editor
“The Iron Lady”, 2011
Usually, Hollywood stars who transform into historical figures to win an Academy Award look cartoonish and forced. But not in this case – Meryl Streep is wonderful as Margaret Thatcher.
Serhiy Kovalev, art director