Ellie Parker

I really like Naomi Watts.

I liked her way back when she was a sidekick in Tank Girl. I liked her when she was making absolutely no sense in Mulholland Falls. I liked her as she displayed her full acting chops opposite Sean Penn in 21 Grams. And even in the dismal Ring Two, she alone stood above the material.

I like her.

Ellie Parker is going to make me fall in love with her.

Ellie Parker is shot entirely with a handheld digital video camera. Not the digital cameras used to film the Star Wars prequels, Sin City, or even 28 Days Later. No, I mean the $400 cameras you can get at Best Buy. The audio is not mastered, but is the audio picked up on the camera's built-in, tiny microphone.

The movie is shot like a mockumentory but without actually being a mockumentory. The camera(and its tiny microphone) follow the life of Ellie Parker (Watts), a struggling actress trying to make a career for herself. She fails auditions, gets fed advice from people who can't make it themselves, and emotionally breaks down. Watts plays the character very candidly, and does not appear to be wearing make-up through most of the trailer. And for once, she's using her real Australian accent.

There is a wonderful clip in the trailer where Watts and her actress friend have an acting contest to see who can cry first. I watched the trailer a second time just for that clip.

I take back my previous statement. The trailer alone has made me fall in love with Naomi Watts.

PS - For the time being, the trailer can be downloaded by clicking the hyperlink below.
Download Here