Director Domee Shi adds a charm factor to the perils of puberty in ‘Turning Red’
Kali (Aubrey Plaza), a high school senior who’s in her final year of high school, is ready for her close-up on film sets. It’s mid-May, and the sun is out, the temperature is warm, and the humidity is at a tolerable level. With her back to the door, Kali peers through the window and sees that the producers have a group of extras from the school’s drama club gathered in the front yard of the studio. They’ve been ordered to pose as extras.
Kali turns on her heels and walks into the house. She’s wearing blue jeans and a white tank top (she’s had her eyes done at the studio and her hair washed at home) with her long blonde hair flowing over her shoulders. She’s just come from having her eyes done. She was surprised when they didn’t ask her to wear a corset. She hasn’t worn one since high school, not since she had to wear one to play the lead in the school play.
“What am I to do?” she asks the empty room. “I’m a princess,” she says to herself. It’s just after dinner, and Kali is starving. “I’m so hungry!” she tells herself. “I have to eat.” It’s the first time in a month that she’s had pizza for dinner. “But I can’t have pizza and sushi. I had pizza last night.” And she had sushi last night, though it’s been about a month since she had sushi. “I’m not going to get sushi any time soon.” The people at her school don’t eat sushi or pizza. They’re vegetarians, but the food at Kali’s school isn’t vegetarian, and neither is Kali. Kali isn’t sure why she can’t have pizza for dinner. That’s one of the many reasons she never went to college. She doesn’t know how to use a computer, and she can’t find the time to learn, so she doesn’t think she has to eat pizza for dinner. How could she have learned to surf or use a computer if she didn’t have time to eat?
Kali grabs dinner off the