With today’s capitalistic world, many of us identify ourselves through our jobs, but not many jobs become as personal as that of the actor, the performer, or the artist. As their work revolves around their physical bodies, their expressions, and their personality, it can be hard for some of them to figure out where the line between them and the job is drawn. Being Julia is centered around an aging stage actress, who is clearly talented, but her years in the business transform her, for better or worse. Having to deal with the expectations of what a star is, during the time that was being solidified, her journey is tough, but with the incredible performance of Annette Bening, and the nuance she places in the way Julia can only deal with emotions through the theater, as well as the way she makes her manipulations somewhat of a triumph, is what makes Being Julia a good film.

It’s actually crazy how I’m rooting for Julia, because if anyone did to me what Julia did to Avice, I would probably be attempting to curse her somehow.