Polyester

See John Waters' cult hit as it was originally intended – in Odorama. Scratch and sniff your way through the film!

Divine stars as suburban housewife on the rise Francine Fishpaw in John Waters' cult hit, which further catapulted her to international super-stardom.

Unjustly mistreated by her chauvinistic husband Elmer, who runs the local porn theatre, and her money-hungry mother La Rue, Francine (Divine) turns to the bottle for love and support. Life is on the downslide for the Fishpaw household, with son Dexter terrorising the neighbourhood as the phantom foot stomper, daughter Lulu a crazed pregnant disco groupie, and the family dog resorting to suicide.

Then, in a Cinderella fantasy come true, Francine meets her Polyester Prince, Todd Tomorrow (Tab Hunter), and blissfully, they fall in love. Has Francine finally found true meaning and happiness, or will she return to an unsavoury lifestyle with the Fishpaw family?

Curator's note
John Waters was once famously inspired by a scathing review that warned, 'If you ever see the name John Waters on the marquee, walk on the other side of the street and hold your nose.' With Polyester, he took that advice literally, creating his Odorama scratch-and-sniff experience so audiences could do exactly that.

Join us at ACMI as we recreate the Odorama experience the way John Waters intended.