Ellen Greene in 'Beatrix is Invisible': “Everything Is Perception”
By Bella Kovar
If asked to describe Alex Farias’ Beatrix is Invisible in one word, I would say evocative. But even that feels too simple for the complex and beautiful murmurs that the story offers. I believe the short film brings up emotions that are buried within our psyches and rarely explored in mainstream media. I asked myself why such topics surrounding our unspeakable internal lives aren’t as popular in film—a special and concentrated form of art that was created for the dichotomous purpose to show both the seen and unseen—decode both minutiae and what seems only decipherable to our mind’s eye.
Film’s spectrum of investigation leaves much room for conversations regarding humans’ very existence, whether narratives confront such questions on the nose or perhaps in a more quiet manner. Ellen Greene, the leading lady and on-screen force of Beatrix is Invisible, found that the very reason she felt drawn to the script was because of such rarity. In our conversation, she noted a scene in which Beatrix discusses her life’s purpose with a rabbi, “When looking at the totality of [Beatrix’s] life and what she’s accomplished, she fears it’s less. If it’s less, is she less? If it’s insignificant, is she insignificant? I never saw that in a script before, and I thought it was a profound, existential question to ask”. Going on, Greene also recognizes the significance of such questions and how they interfere in an everyday person’s life, “I think that people in their quiet moments, when they’re alone, they measure up their own accomplishments. They sometimes ask themselves, ‘Who am I?’ ‘How do I fit into the world?’ ‘How do I measure up?’”.
Beatrix is Invisible displays the slice of life genre uniquely; the narrative recognizes hardship within the mundane. The audience becomes privy to the life of Beatrix—a mother and grandmother trying to make sense of her place in the world. Through religion, reading, and reflection, she tries with all her might to rid herself of feeling empty and inadequate. Beatrix also explores vulnerability as an option to feel seen; she signs up as a nude model for an art class. Greene shared with me how the scene felt for her to film, “The end of the film was truly a strong decision. I have been naked before, in several films, but at 72…it was a need. It was a definite need. I knew I had to do it”. The scene’s inclusion adds an extra layer of intimacy to Beatrix’s character and brings forward an essential message about how the human body contributes heavily to our perception of self.
Still of Ellen in Little Shop of Horrors, via IMBD
Ellen Greene is most known for her iconic role as Audrey in Little Shop of Horrors. Her body of work is often musical, light, whimsical, and comedic. I was intrigued and enamored by her decision to take part in a film with more emotionally striking themes. She explained to me, “I like to do things that matter; that make people feel, that heal people, that touch people in a way. I do pieces that touch me, and otherwise I don’t do them.” I found her answer very admirable and relatable. Her perspective is a reminder that stories that move us can manifest in many different ways—whether we laugh, cry, or question the meaning of our existence. The medium of film, in particular, evokes the ineffable, which I found Beatrix is Invisible to do in more ways than one. Ellen Greene is a delight in everything she’s in, and viewers will be left mesmerized by her instinctual portrayal of Beatrix.
