A scene from ‘Gonzo Girl’

TIFF ’23 Review: ‘Gonzo Girl’ is a trip

‘Gonzo Girl’ chronicles the overwhelming experience of acting as the assistant to an eccentric literary genius.

Hunter S. Thompson is a legend. He pioneered a style of writing that is still studied in journalism courses and took readers behind-the-scenes of some of the most clandestine scenes, including George McGovern’s 1972 presidential campaign against Richard Nixon and the Hells Angels Motorcycle Club. He wrote regularly for Rolling Stone magazine and published multiple books about his exploits. But he was also known for being eccentric. He had a wild temper, and consumed more drugs and alcohol than most humans could survive, like it was his superpower. When he died by suicide, Johnny Depp, who’d become his very good friend while preparing for the big screen adaptation of Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, paid for his $3 million funeral. Gonzo Girl is the story of Thompson’s influence on another young creative.

Alley Russo (Camila Morrone) is an aspiring writer who’s just accepted the position to be Walker Reade’s (Willem Dafoe) assistant. Excited to work with the father of gonzo journalism, she arrives bright-eyed and bushy tailed. Tasked with ensuring Walker turns out a minimum number of pages before dawn each night, Alley spends the following weeks playing bartender, using cocaine and acid, and escorting Walker on his inane errands. He writes when the mood strikes him, but his editor is unimpressed with the quality and losing patience for the book he owes them. Suddenly, pages are being faxed and the publishers are happy. Alley’s presence has certainly sparked a change, but at what cost?

For those familiar with Thompson, Alley’s experience with Walker (she changed his name in her book, on which the film is based) seems par for the course. Dafoe is exceptionally convincing as the drug-addled writer, seamlessly capturing his mannerisms and habits. Similarly, the script knows these characters and their essence leaps off the screen. The words out of Walker’s mouth ranges from absurd to vulgar to genius to occasionally complimentary, and one is never sure which it will be or whether it may begin one way and end another. It’s rare that someone is not under the influence of something at any point in the film, which seems to make Walker more palatable because he’d probably drive everyone mad otherwise.

Unsurprisingly, Alley is only the latest assistant to take a stab at keeping up with and wrangling Walker. She goes with the flow a lot and while it doesn’t seem like she does anything against her will, she does find herself in a lot of compromising positions. Yet, she also isn’t afraid to give an honest response when asked a question, which is a refreshing quality for someone in her situation. When she signs the nondisclosure agreement and is later offered hush money, it’s clear Walker has a habit of doing and saying the wrong thing — not a surprise, but rather a frustrating reality. Seen through Alley’s perspective, the experience appears to embolden her and give her something to write about, in spite of what seems like a recipe for failure.

Director Patricia Arquette also plays Walker’s secretary in the film, but her work behind the camera is equally if not more impressive. Employing voiceover effectively, placing the camera at the right place at the right time and getting the best performances from her actors, she was clearly passionate about this project and executes it seamlessly.

Gonzo Girl had its world premiere in the Discovery programme at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Read other reviews from the festival.

Director: Patricia Arquette
Starring: Willem Dafoe, Camila Morrone and Ray Nicholson

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