This is a biopic about Christine Chubbuck, the Florida TV news reporter who became the subject of urban legend when, in 1974, she shot herself live on television. Coincidentally, when this film was shown at the 20126 Sundance Film Festival, there was a documentary called 'Kate Plays Christine' also shown (which concentrated on actress Kate Lyn Sheil researching Chubbuck's life in order to portray her). The difference between the two films (aside from one being a documentary, the other being a biopic) is that, where as 'Kate Plays Christine' comes across as exploitative, 'Christine' does not, and actually works better. And the main reason it does is Rebecca Hall's performance.
Hall's Christine is just a marvel to watch. She is in nearly every scene of the film, and it is impossible to look away from her. Rather then making her just sad and one-dimensional, she makes Christine a fully-rounded human being slowly slipping into her deep depression. It's suggested that she's bipolar, and is made clear that she is a single virgin girl, so these are elements that probably led to her taking her own life. She also seeks a way to move ahead in the news business, to move on to better and juicier stories. Her desire to move forward in her career, yet always feeling trapped, is a major part of her character. We also see other elements of Christine's life: her relationship with her mother, her unrequited feelings for her co-worker, and the fact that she does puppet shows for children with additional needs. These elements all help to flesh her out as a character so that we see her as a real person.
Aside from Rebecca, the supporting cast manage to stand out as well: Tracy Letts as the news station manager who berates Christine, Michael C. Hall as the news anchor she has feelings for, J. Smith Cameron as her mother, and Maria Dizzia as her only close friend at the news station.
But this film is all about Christine, and why should it not be, when you have a performance like Rebecca Hall's at the centre of the story. Truly one of the best performances from an actress I have ever seen and it was a crime she didn't get big awards attention.
