This review was originally published on September 11, 2024, as part of our Toronto International Film Festival coverage.

In Shell , Elisabeth Moss stars as Samantha Lake, a thirty-something actress whose career is already on the decline due to Hollywood’s penchant for prioritizing beauty and youth over talent. When Samantha seeks out help via wellness guru Zoe Shannon (Kate Hudson) and her company, also called Shell, her life transforms overnight. Naturally, this is all too good to be true.

There are a lot of elements that work in Shell , from its stylish production design to the cast, which also includes Kaia Gerber, Elizabeth Berkley, Arian Moayed, and Amy Landecker. Max Minghella, in his sophomore feature as director, gives Los Angeles a distinctly retro-future feel that adds

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