- Director: Craig Gillespie
- Year: 2021
Overview
Set in 1970s London, Estella is a young orphan with a talent for fashion design who scrapes by alongside two street thieves. She doesn't want to steal forever, so she secures an entry-level job at a prestigious department store. Her raw talent catches the attention of the Baroness Von Hellman, a cold and legendary fashion designer. Estella becomes the Baroness's protΓ©gΓ©, but she soon discovers a dark secret linking the Baroness to her mother's death. Adopting the rebellious alter ego Cruella, she launches a flamboyant public campaign to steal the Baroness's spotlight and dismantle her fashion empire from the outside.
Takeaways
The high-fashion world is ruled with an iron fist by the Baroness, who doesn't let anyone challenge her spot at the top. Estella learns pretty fast that playing nice and following the rules won't get her anywhere, so she creates the Cruella persona to crash the Baroness's events and steal the spotlight. Cruella's wild, rebellious fashion stunts completely upstage the Baroness, showing that you can beat a powerful bully by being bold and making your own rules.