“Doing it for the girls and the gays,” said Margarita (Anna Baryshnikov), before taping an audition tape in the opening scene for “Idiotka.” In West Hollywood’s Russian district, Margarita, an aspiring fashion designer, competes in a fashion-centered reality show to earn money for her family facing poverty and eviction.
On the show “Slay, Serve, Survive,” Margarita finds a voice for more than just her creative side. She uses the show to create protest pieces on the war in Ukraine and the prison system, for her Ukrainian family and her incarcerated father, along with a “R.A.R.E: children of addicts recover” t-shirt, she makes for her grandmother. While the film’s tone is funny and upbeat, director Nastasya Popov’s debut film mocks celebrity culture and the Hollywood industry, which makes it all the more notable that established celebrities like Julia Fox (“Uncut Gems”) and Camila Mendes (“Riverdale”) signed on to the project.
While “Idiotka” relates to a Gen Z audience, some lines feel overdone. It teeters the line between comical and cringeworthy. However, it is likely Popov was going for that. For example, the show’s judges are so blatantly over the top that it’s obviously satirical. The reference to micro-aesthetics on TikTok, such as coquette and indie sleaze, was meant to be laughable, leading audiences to think of the one chronically online person they know that connotes every fashion style to a niche microtrend. The film relies on a Gen Z audience to understand most of the references, so the film won’t be truly appreciated unless you’re part of the target audience willing to be self-deprecating.
Among the moments most likely appreciated by Gen Z are cameos from singer Saweetie, comedian Benito Skinner and model Gabbriette Bechtel, who is most famously known for her friendship with Charli XCX and “Idiotka” castmate Fox. Unless they’ve been living under a pop culture rock, audiences will appreciate the star-studded cameos.
The casting for the film is phenomenal. Fox started her career as a fashion designer, which brings her full circle. Baryshnikov’s father, Mikhail Baryshnikov, defected from the Soviet Union in 1974, giving her a personal tie to this role. Mark Ivanir, who plays Margarita’s father, is a Russian-speaking actor. Russian American actress Galina Jovovich, who emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1980, plays Margarita’s grandmother Gita Levlansky — inspired by Popov’s own grandmother.
Popov perfectly contrasts the Levlansky’s financial situation to the excessiveness of Hollywood when judges visit the family to film, showing up to their cluttered and chaotic abode in red-carpet-ready looks and designer handbags. The character of Nicol, played by Mendes, is seen regularly sharing a cigarette with Margarita and struggles between sympathizing with Margarita and using her for content.
While “Idiotka” appears lighthearted and playful, its message digs deeper than that. Popov’s debut film addresses the harsh contradictions of celebrity life against regular citizen life, especially during times of worldly distress — all in the name of fashion.
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