Madeleine Olnek – 2015

Sunday, April 5, 2015 7:15 pm

The Foxy Merkins 2013 81 min. U.S.A.

Two lesbian hookers wind their way through a world of bargain-hunting housewives and double-dealing conservative women in this buddy comedy, an homage to and riff on iconic male hustler films. Margaret is a down-on-her-luck hooker in training, who meets up with Jo, a beautiful and self-assured grifter from a wealthy family and an expert on servicing women, even as she considers herself proudly heterosexual. The film follows their adventures together on the street, through encounters with husky-voiced seductresses, mumbling erotic accessory salesmen and shopaholic swingers. Navigating the bizarre fetishes and sexual needs of their ‘dates’ brings into focus the hilarious and pathetic disparity between the two hookers, fellow travelers who will share the road together but only for a while.

Madeleine Olnek is a prolific writer and director who honed her skills in downtown New York City venues with over 20 produced plays– all comedies– which frequently enjoyed sell-out runs. A former student of David Mamet’s, she is one of the authors of “A Practical Handbook for the Actor.” She studied filmmaking at Columbia University, where she was awarded the William Goldman Screenwriting Fellowship and the Adrienne Shelly Award/Grant for Best Female Director. Her earlier films, “Hold Up,” “Countertransference, and Codependent Lesbian Space Alien Seeks Same were all screened at Sundance, among other festivals, and have received widespread acclaim.
This event is co-sponsored by Women’s Gender, and Sexuality Studies at Ohio University, The Women’s Center at Ohio University, and the Film Division, School of Dance, Film and Theater, Ohio University.