A scene from Narcissister Organ Player (Film Movement)

Films like Narcissister Organ Player have a way of bringing out two battling sides of a viewer’s personality. Let’s call one side Olivia Openmind, a live-and-let-live type who appreciates creative effort in all its forms and has empathy for artists trying to express themselves. Wanda Wetblanket, on the other hand, is a world-weary cynic with a low tolerance for trendy BS. What did these two have to say about Narcissister Organ Player?

Olivia Openmind: I’ve lived in New York for ages, but I don’t know this performance artist. Where have I been? In her film she changes in and out of costumes, transforms shape, and turns into a dwarf, a doll, and even a heavy metal bro masturbating to porn through dance, music, burlesque, and all the while telling her own life story. It’s pretty fascinating.

Wanda Wetblanket: And always with the boobs out, of course. Although I’d have to say, if you got it, flaunt it.

Olivia: Well, that’s part of the act. She calls herself Narcissister to make the point, with “sister” that she’s part African American, and also as a joking commentary on her own self-involvement.

Wanda: I did not see much humor in her performance, although I did see plenty of narcissism. Starting with the masks she always wears. They say “look at me” while putting us at one remove. Her performances are very artificial and, well, masklike.

Olivia: There are reasons for that. One, I think she wants to preserve her privacy. She even covers her face in her childhood pictures. And two, you see artificiality, but I think her performances are very organically rooted in the body. She pulls masks and other objects from her vagina and anus.

Wanda: Not figuratively. For real.

Olivia: And part of her performance has her crawling out of giant models of those body parts, evoking birth and other bodily functions. It’s all based on her relationship with her mother—

Wanda: Yeah, I know, there is animation of her cavorting with turds in her mom’s intestines. Charming! Sorry, I interrupted. That was the part of the film I found touching, actually. Narcissister tells the story of her parents, a Sephardic Jewish woman from Morocco and an African American science professor. Although Narcissister seemed to harp kind of voyeuristically on her parents’ lives, the mother’s story, photos, and wistful home movies were very poignant.

Olivia: And the mother encouraged her in all aspects of her art.

Wanda. Gee, my mom never egged me on to flash my rack and play with dildos on a bicycle. I clearly grew up with the wrong parents.

Olivia: Did you even get that performing this way has been a form of therapy? In the movie she talks about her issues with her body as a person of color and wanting to get past them. It’s a valid artistic path. You’ve got to admit, Narcissister has achieved a lot on her own terms.

Wanda: Yeah, she was on America’s Got Talent freaking out Sharon Osborne, and she had a date with Marilyn Manson. But again, she had to parade her crotch. I know sex is important, but can’t this woman do anything without sexing it up?

Olivia: Good question. Maybe in her next movie.

Wanda: Oh, who needs a movie without some naughty bits hanging out?

Olivia: OK, enough. You can’t win. Where can we get a drink around here?

Wanda: Do you need one? I sure do.