While watching this documentary film, Grey Gardens, I felt like I was getting a look into the lives of the characters (Little Edie and Big Edie); their true personalities were being expressed without any filter. They said whatever came to mind and acted however they wanted. Women in the mid-1970s were not “supposed” to act this way on camera, which is why viewers originally thought the film must have been scripted. Their bickering even feels comedic. They are performing, but only because they like to perform, not for money. Long takes and no narration suggest a direct cinema style, but the actors’ performances turn it into a theater performance.
Like the decaying house, it is clear to the viewers that their lives are becoming less and less interesting. They are constantly talking about regrets and memories, reliving the moments again and again. Psychologically, the Edies live in a bubble of the past. Little Edie keeps saying she wants to leave, but the moment she’s with her mother, she becomes a “Little Girl”. They’re unreliable narrators of their own histories, but it is a part of the film’s attraction, making it more entertaining and theatrical.
The house and the chaos of objects inside it symbolize the internal chaos in their minds. The physical disarray mirrors the emotional chaos of their relationship, which includes dependency, resentment, affection, and nostalgia. Still, they stayed together.
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