Sex. Violence. Attractive young people. Rock Music. Surreal imagery. More sex. Between his latest feature Kaboom, a hazy remembrance of Mysterious Skin, and a recent viewing of The Doom Generation, I think I'm beginning to pick up on Gregg Araki's trademarks. Gorgeous and hot-headed teenager Amy (Rose McGowan) and her cute pothead boyfriend Jordan (James Duval) just want to make out, do drugs, and listen to cool tunes. When they find themselves accidentally abetting a stick-up that ends in murder, the couple winds up on the run with the infuriatingly sultry Xavier (Johnathan Schaech). As they drive from isolated motel to isolated motel, they meet with a number of unsavory characters, several of whom believe Amy to be some ex-lover or other and subsequently try to kill her. I predict a threesome will happen at some point. I will lay down money on that.
Between the stilted, insincere line delivery and inexplicable plot developments, it took me a while to get into this film. It's like someone watched a Hal Hartley feature and thought, "Hmm, I sure to enjoy the over-choreographed, stagey feel of these conversations, but let's push it so far it just looks like everyone's a bad actor." After about 20 minutes I settled into the flow and enjoyed myself more, drinking in the overall weirdness of a decapitated talking head, super-90's fashion choices, meandering storyline, and frequent breaks for sex and violence. It's like a surreal gladiatorial games out there.
Rose McGowan is super hot. Johnathan Schaech is super hot. (Spoiler alert) They bang. This should be enough for a lot of movie goers. But Araki constantly flips between erotic titillation and gory fixation, with the loose plot merely a showcase for his twisted vision of today's corrupted youth. These kids retreat to gaudy, oversaturated motel rooms and dimly-lit clubs for peace of mind, feasting on convenience store snack food and cigarettes. Nobody's libido is kept in check, and there's little concept of sexual preference. There is no hope in their world, and seemingly no point to anything. The climactic scene is a heady mix of regular porn and torture porn, throwing in some white supremacy imagery for good measure. It leaves a mark, let me tell you.
Overall I guess I did like The Doom Generation, even if it did its best to confuse and alienate me. I'm still not sold on the stilted dialogue and pacing, but I respect the cast enough to know it's definitely a stylistic choice and not just their performances. It's weird, it's sexy, it's unexpected. It's an experience. But one I probably wouldn't watch again.
3.5/5
Pair This Movie With: Um. The aforementioned Kaboom definitely has its similarities. And I know this is part of a trilogy Araki did but I haven't seen the other two films so I can't recommend them. Otherwise... Natural Born Killers, maybe?
PS For more informed opinions about Araki's films check out Toby's blog.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
The Doom Generation (1995)
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It's been years since I've seen that film and I'm trying to find the right time to see it. It was a film that when I first saw it on TV in the mid-90s during high school. I was really into it and it reflected my own sense of alienation at the time. I want to see how it holds up now.
ReplyDeletea fine summation alex. for me the nihilism is a little too much in this film. i know. too much nihilism in a gregg araki movie!? but the costumes and the dark humour are big winners everytime.
ReplyDeleteps thanks for the shout out
I saw just enough of this flick some 15 years ago to teach me to never again watch a minute of a Gregg Araki film. Just horrendous vague memories is all I have. Well, that and the knowledge that James Duval is a dreadful actor with the most Keanu-ish voice ever.
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