It’s been awhile since I’ve dusted off the keys and been inspired to write again. After Pamela’s documentary graced its way to Netflix, I was propelled by its unconventional love story and completely unscripted narrative. No frills, no nonsense and no filter. Pamela: A Love Story tells the story of a woman finding her way out from under the thumb of the media without the rose colored lenses of glamour and fame.
Having seen the trailer, a wavering energy of excitement flowed through me. Pamela Anderson in her own words! This time, without scandal preceding her name. I imagined, as the trailer played, that it was a sort of response to Hulu’s titular limited series, Pam & Tommy. While this is certainly addressed in the film, this documentary was characteristically about the pre, inter and post life of the infamous “tape”. Rightfully so, after 25 years, Pamela was ready to set the record. What I was left with was, quite a surprise.
An avid documentary seeker, I went into this having known little about who Pamela Anderson was beyond the obvious. Underneath the reeling beauty, is a woman left to handle the pieces of her past and rediscover herself in a new light. As a woman of nostalgia, the best lead of the film was Pamela’s diaries. She very candidly opened up about her hesitation of reading these entries but I was glad we still got a peak. A narrator reads them instead, letting us into the past from Pamela’s rocky childhood to early stardom. It opened a portal to a whole side of Pamela that I don’t think many expect. While many remember the sleek covers of a bombshell blonde, Pamela was in search of meaning, of life and falling in love.
Making a career of “the pieces left”, Pamela continues to struggle with the humiliation and eye goggling she faced in the shadows of the tape. Talk show hosts, podcasts and interviewers asking about her bust size, what the attention of the tape was like, it was all too unbelievable. Despite the discomfort she felt, she was a firecracker who often used these moments to deflect and brush off embarrassment. I was shocked by the tongue twisted and blunt men who asked invasive questions, ignoring her discomfort at the expense of comedic praise. It was truly saddening and in those moments, I felt for Pamela.
A commonality through it all was her unwavering ability to choose love, to fight for her boys and find new meaning. It’s obvious her sons were protective of their mother. One of the more heartbreaking moments was Pamela popping in a VHS, the images of her one true love flickering on the screen. A memory of Tommy’s birthday with hundreds of balloon filling their home. It was as if she was teleporting herself to that place for a moment. As she took a deep breath it was apparent she truly missed those fleeting moments.
At last, we get to see the long awaited comeback of Pamela Anderson, only this time, on Broadway as Roxy Hart in Chicago. Showing her newly arrived script, she was glowing! I absolutely loved that. At last, she was ready to break out of her shell and make her broadway debut. When her performance finally arrives, she nails it! As the documentary comes to a close, Dylan Lee, her son reads the very positive review as scenes dance across the scene from her performance. Sweet success for Pamela! And well deserved.
As I try my hardest to wrap up this post (for which I could go hours on), I can’t help but admit I truly am happy for Pamela. As a woman, it feels like a little spark inside me can’t help but root for another woman’s success. She’s been through hell and back and for once, she takes back her life, her career and her narrative the way she intends. Pamela in her words, is authentically and unapologetically, her.
That’s A Wrap: Film Reviews 