ANNA

title: ANNA
year: 1987
cast: Sally Kirkland, Paulina Porizkova, Robert Fields
rating: ****

A one-woman show centering on two women… Anna, a former Czechoslovakian movie star seeking meager stage roles in New York, takes in a young Czech waif, Krystyna, who worshipped her back home. Sally Kirkland, in the title role, doesn't only steal the movie but her transformation is so overwhelmingly realistic… from the accent to the physical mannerisms… one not familiar with Sally's work will be surprised: she's actually American! The film itself doesn’t always live up to Kirkland’s Oscar nominated performance, but Anna’s desperate quest to remain a working actress, and her eventual breakdown after Krystyna - played with natural ease by supermodel Paulina Porizkova - betrays her: is all that really matters. It's Anna's film after all.