Martin Scorsese guessing feminine products on his daughter’s TikTok is the best film of the year
There are few words more exciting for cinephiles than “new Scorsese,” and with Killers Of The Flower Moon still a ways off, patience is critical. But he’s not the only auteur in the family. Francesca Scorsese is taking up the crown and producing thought-provoking examinations of female society, and she’s using her father, Academy Award-winning director Martin Scorsese, as her first subject.
In “Having my dad guess feminine items pt. 1,” which debuted on Francesca’s TikTok yesterday afternoon, the younger Scorsese tests her father’s knowledge of 51 percent of the human population. His befuddlement at menstrual cups, nipple pasties, and hair donuts, which he mistakes for a “flagon,” “earbuds,” and a “weird pillow of some kind,” respectively, encourages a healthy discourse between father and daughter. The film stands in direct contrast to Martin Scorsese’s own depiction of these relationships in The Irishman, in which Peggy Sheeran (Anna Pacquin) is so disturbed by her father’s (Rober DeNiro) smooth face and lumbering, elderly movements, she refuses to utter a word to the man.
Francesca Scorsese’s deft camerawork shows a masterful understanding of tone. In one scene, entitled “5) bobbypin,” her father’s apparent disgust at the idea that he would be unfamiliar with an ordinary hairpin creates a tense moment of disagreement. It’s as suspenseful as the Chinatown chase in The Departed or the “funny how” monologue of Goodfellas. His dismissal is reminiscent of seething rage found in his male protagonists, like Travis Bickle and Tommy DeVito. However, Francesca’s laughter quells any concerns, defanging her father and returning him to a tranquil status quo.
“Having my dad guess feminine items pt. 1" is a tour de force of humor, pathos, and provocation, an unsuspecting masterpiece that’s as engaging and mystifying as her father’s best. Also, it’s incredibly charming to see Martin Scorsese and his daughter giggle and spend some time together. They seem like they have a nice relationship. God willing, more explorations into the mind of the Martin Scorsese will become commonplace on the TikTok of Francesca Scorsese.