Shirley- Moss and Stuhlbarg shine in portrait of author.

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“A clean house is evidence of mental inferiority” says horror author Shirley Jackson (Elizabeth Moss) to her husband Stanley Hyman (Michael Stuhlbarg), a line that feels comparable with the rest of the film. Director Josephine Decker has not opted for a traditional biographical story about the real-life author. Instead, she uses the novel of the same name by Susan Scarf Merrill that tells a fictional, yet more intimate portrayal of its subject.

It focuses on a fictional couple (Odessa Young and Logan Lerman) who move into the house of the two authors. Lerman’s Fred is a postgraduate student, hoping to follow in the footsteps of Hyman, whilst Young’s Rose is forced to look after the reclusive Jackson. Meanwhile, Jackson sets upon writing a new novel, based upon a student who disappeared.

Both Elizabeth Moss and Michael Stuhlbarg deliver powerhouse performances. They are perhaps one of the most resentful and hateful couples of recent memory, delivering insult after insult to one another. Yet, there is a strange mutual respect the two have for each other. It is as their hatred is necessary for the pair to function. It is a complex relationship that is fully explored by the two actors.

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Young is also very good and plays off well against Moss, though Lerman’s character feels underdeveloped and underwritten at points. Whilst Young is certainly given the larger and juicer role, Lerman is never able to offer the same support that Stuhlbarg delivers. Considering Decker’s point seems to be the mirroring relationship of both couples, there should have been more done with Fred.

Decker has proven herself to be a fine and capable filmmaker. Her camerawork feels both intimate, yet also distant. The audience finds themselves both in the shoes of Young and Moss. We feel as if we are always watching from afar with Jackson, much like how Young often does during her early scenes with Moss. Yet, the camera feels close and personal with Jackson as the story progresses.  By the end of the film, both the audience and actors feel intertwined with one another.

‘Shirley’ is a strange offering that may leave some audience members slightly cold. But it offers something new and different that few biopics have to offer. By interweaving fiction and reality, it never feels like it is trying to cram all of Jackson’s life events within a 100-minute running time. Instead, it tells us everything we need to know about Jacksons’ character through a short period of her life. And in some ways, it gives the audience more than most standard biopics do.