The first stills from «Flesh Impact,» a short film about Marilyn Monroe, have been released online. According to Vanity Fair, Maggie Gyllenhaal wrote and directed the film. The title character is portrayed at different stages of her life by Dakota Johnson and Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn.
Gyllenhaal said she was fascinated by the question of what Monroe’s career and life might have looked like had she lived to an old age. That idea ultimately inspired the film, featuring Johnson as the younger Monroe and Burstyn as the star in her twilight years.
Gyllenhaal described the film as a «love letter» to Monroe, whom she considers one of the greatest Hollywood stars of the 20th century.
The screenplay was written in just two days. Burstyn, now 93, actually met Monroe when she was young. The veteran actress ultimately joined the project despite the demanding role.
June 1 marked the 100th anniversary of Monroe’s birth.
«Flesh Impact» will premiere at the 83rd Venice Film Festival, which runs Sept. 2-12 on the Lido di Venezia, an island in the Venetian Lagoon.
