Viva is a 2007 American comedy-drama film directed by Anna Biller and starring, in addition to Biller, Jared Sanford, Bridget Brno, Chad England, Marcus DeAnda, and John Klemantaski. The plot concerns a 1970s suburban housewife who is dragged through the worst excesses of the sexual revolution.
Plot
Barbi is happily married to Rick in a 1970s American suburb. She is friends with Sheila and her husband Mark, an actor, who frequently flirts with Barbi. After she is sexually harassed by her boss, Barbi quits her job. Rick is unperturbed and convinces Barbi to become a homemaker. However, Barbi and Rick begin to fight as he frequently travels for business. After Rick decides to spend a month away from her on a business trip, Barbi decides their marriage is over. Sheila informs her that Mark has also left her, and the two decide to live the single life. While wearing risqué outfits, Barbi and Sheila are picked up by a madam who offers to arrange sexual encounters and dates for them. Barbi decides to go by the name Viva, after the name of an erotic magazine she enjoys reading. As Viva, Barbi goes on several arranged dates and has sexual encounters with various men. She meets photographer Clyde, but refuses to sleep with him until she is ready. However after performing at an orgy, Clyde drugs and then rapes Viva. Perturbed by the encounter, Viva consults Sheila who reveals she is returning to Mark after realizing she is pregnant and advises Viva to also reunite with Rick. Right before her reunion with Rick, Mark attacks and attempts to rape Barbi. She fends him off but when Rick arrives he smells Mark's cologne and runs off. He ends up with a broken leg and reunites with Barbi. Sheila and Mark have a baby, and the two couples remain friends. Barbi receives a phone call from Arthur, a musical producer friend of Clyde's, who offers her a role in his upcoming musical. At an audition Barbi and Sheila perform a song about the different facets of womanhood.
Anna Biller's concept for Viva originally started as a photo series inspired by old Playboy magazines, and the photos inspired her to create a story surrounding these characters. Another big inspiration was Luis Buñuel's film Belle de Jour. Biller used the photos as a proof-of-concept, and was able to secure the full funding to make a feature film from a private investor. The film was made slowly as they had to repeatedly pause production to raise more money. They originally budgeted for $100,000, but the final cost of the film was $750,000. Principal photography lasted from 2005 to 2007. Biller chose to star in the film herself because she "wouldn't ask another actress to take off her clothes in the movie and do all these things with the power trip being 'I'm the director, you're the actress.'"
The film has received mixed to positive reactions, and "illustrates cinema’s unique ability to blend high and low culture." On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 60% based on 48 reviews. Daniel Steinhart of Film Journal International wrote, "Full of campy performances and giggle-inducing period costumes, the film may be destined for cult status." Lauren Horwitch of Backstage wrote, "Biller once again proves herself to be a master multi-tasker with her new musical, Viva, which she wrote, directed, edited, designed the costumes, and stars in." It has been compared to the works of Russ Meyer and other sexploitation films of that era. Writing for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, Dennis Harvey listed Biller's performance in Viva as one of the year's "best performances most likely to be overlooked".
