Cruella - 2021

A Cinderella with Nothing Left to Lose#

Estella is born with distinctive black-and-white hair and an innate passion for fashion. But fate deals her a cruel hand: her mother dies when she’s young, forcing her to survive on the streets through petty theft and scams.

When the world keeps telling you “you don’t belong,” the best response is proving it wrong.

With her two stray dogs—Buddy and Wink—and fellow street hustlers Horace and Jasper, she scrapes by in London’s underground. She dreams of becoming a great fashion designer, but the harsh reality tells her that people like her only deserve to live in shadows.

Entering the Fashion Empire#

Estella finally lands a job at Liberty’s department store. She thinks her dream is beginning, only to discover she’s hired as a janitor. Her days are spent scrubbing floors and emptying trash, watching less talented people get the opportunities she craves.

A buried genius is the most dangerous flame—it will eventually burn everything down.

A chance “outburst” during an unauthorized design display catches the attention of the Baroness, the queen of fashion. Cold, arrogant, and brilliant, the Baroness becomes Estella’s mentor—and her most terrifying adversary.

The Awakening of a Dual Identity#

In her battle against the Baroness, Estella uncovers a devastating truth: the Baroness is responsible for her mother’s death. Years of suppressed rage, grief, and rebellion finally explode.

When kindness is trampled long enough, evil becomes a form of self-protection.

Cruella is born. She is Estella’s dark twin, the embodiment of every suppressed desire. Bold, flamboyant, ruthless, she’s determined to make the Baroness pay. Through one spectacular fashion show after another, she systematically dismantles the Baroness’s empire.

The Fashion War#

The film’s climax is a magnificent fashion war. Cruella upstages the Baroness at every event: models diving into fountains, gowns displayed on garbage trucks, her name spray-painted across walls. Each “attack” is performance art; every “destruction” is a fashion statement.

True style isn’t about following rules—it’s about redefining them.

This isn’t a simple revenge story. Each of Cruella’s strikes is a challenge to fashion’s entrenched conventions. She makes gowns from garbage, jewelry from waste, proving that true beauty comes from creativity and courage, not expensive materials.

Emma Stone’s Dual Performance#

Stone’s performance is the film’s soul. She must switch between two distinct personalities: the timid Estella and the flamboyant Cruella. Different walking styles, speaking patterns, even different eye contact—all serve this transformation.

An actor’s highest achievement is making the audience forget they’re watching a performance.

As Estella, you see a Cinderella beaten down by life—head lowered, shoulders hunched, a pleading tone in her voice. But as Cruella, she strides with head high, heels clicking, eyes blazing with defiance, as if announcing to the world: I’m here, you’d better move aside.

Emma Thompson’s Elegant Villainy#

Thompson’s Baroness is the perfect adversary. She doesn’t need dramatic monologues or grotesque makeup—just a cutting remark, a dismissive glance, and the audience seethes with hatred.

True villains don’t know they’re villains—they simply assume the world revolves around them.

The Baroness’s evil stems from narcissism and indifference. She cares about no one’s fate except her own gowns. She can’t even remember her assistant’s name—because she’s never seen anyone as human. This “banality of evil” is more chilling than any cartoonish villain.

Costume as Character#

The film’s Oscar for Best Costume Design is well-deserved. The costumes aren’t merely decoration—they’re characters, narrative tools, externalized emotions.

When you can’t express yourself in words, speak through your clothes.

Estella’s clothes are practical, understated—reflecting her struggle on society’s margins. Cruella’s ensembles are theatrical, dramatic—her inner rebellion made visible. The Baroness’s wardrobe is elegant, vintage—her hold on traditional power. Every piece tells a story, conveys psychological state.

Disney’s “Villain Rehabilitation” Strategy#

Disney has been rolling out “villain origin” films: “Maleficent” explained the fairy’s evil, “Cruella” explains the fur-obsessed madwoman. This strategy both mines classic IP and expresses moral relativism.

No one is born a villain—behind every “evil” lies a wounded story.

But this raises a question: are we making excuses for wrongdoing? Cruella eventually becomes a madwoman who kidnaps puppies and skins them for coats—no tragic past can whitewash that. The film stops before Cruella’s complete corruption, both a commercial decision and moral reservation.

A Metaphor for Female Power#

“Cruella” is fundamentally a story about female power. The battle between Estella and the Baroness represents two models of female authority: one gained through compliance within the patriarchal system (the Baroness), one through subversion and rebellion (Cruella).

When women’s paths to power are restricted, they must choose: submit or destroy.

The film’s answer is ambiguous. Cruella “defeats” the Baroness but doesn’t build a fairer world—she simply takes her place. This “queen replacement” narrative: does it truly challenge patriarchal order, or merely replicate its logic?

70s Retro Aesthetic#

Setting the film in 1970s London is brilliant. The rise of punk rock, the collapse of old orders, youth culture’s rebellion—all mirror Cruella’s personal awakening.

Every era needs a symbol, and Cruella becomes the embodiment of 70s rebellious spirit.

Punks on London streets, vintage shops on King’s Road, bespoke tailoring on Savile Row—these elements create a visually intoxicating world. The film uses retro to tell a modern story, the past to illuminate the present.

TIP

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