Fashion documentaries offer a glimpse into a world only seen by those beautiful or glamorous enough to penetrate it. Most follow the iconic individuals who make the industry, like Isaac Mizrahi in Unzipped, Anna Wintour in September Issue, or the work on New York Times fashion photographer Bill Cunningham. Titles like Valentino: The Last Emperor and the more recent Ultrasuede: In Search of Halston tease with the promise of larger-than-life personas, putting the designers and their personalities before the clothing that made them famous.
First time filmmaker Julie Benasra takes the spotlight away from the men and women behind the labels and magazines to look at the cultural importance of shoes. According to an official press release, God Save My Shoes explores “the passionate relationship between women and their shoes, and to examine how shoes have come to occupy such a pivotal role in pop culture, sexuality and women’s lives.” I can’t help but think of the term “shoe fetish” when reading this, and the trailer and poster only encourage the idea. See for yourself below:
Synopsis:
“God Save My Shoes” is the first documentary film to explore the intimate relationship women have with their
shoes.To understand how shoes have come to hold such a pivotal place in pop culture, sexuality and women’s lives, “God Save My Shoes” turned to many of those who play a role in the global shoe phenomenon: Extreme shoe lovers, fashion historians and editors, psychologists, sex experts, shoe fetishists, and star designers Christian Louboutin, Manolo Blahnik, Walter Steiger, Pierre Hardy, Bruno Frisoni, and Robert Clergerie, along with such celebrities as Fergie, Kelly Rowland and Dita Von Teese.
With its psychological, sociocultural, and erotic take – from ancient elevated soles to today’s skyscraping stilettos, from Marilyn Monroe to Sex & the City – “God Save My Shoes” brings an offbeat and captivating answer to the universally puzzling relationship between women and their shoes.
Produced by Caid Productions, the film was first released in France and has since premiered in the Middle East at the Abu Dhabi Film festival. It will soon be screened at the Glasgow Film Festival on February 24, then finally make its way to the Quad Cinema in New York on March 30.