by John Bizub, Contributing Writer
Welcome to the fourth issue in my latest series titled Another Person’s Treasure. In this series, I discuss films that have not been well received by critics and have not been well liked by the general public. However, I think there are films that deserve to be given a second chance. Let us begin, shall we?
I think it is better said than done that modern culture nowadays, thanks to the power of the internet, is in a different state post-9/11. Many people’s fears have become more heightened through world events, the perception of famous icons have been tarnished due to their past behaviors, and the overall state of the world is at its most divided and vulnerable. As someone who was born a little over one month from the September 11th attacks, I can say that teenager/pre-adult life is a lot different from stories from parents and others around me. This could be due to technological advancements or changes in thought, or it could be that we have been more educated and vocal with our opinions because of social media. My generation lives in a different state of being compared to the others before me. Many filmmakers seemingly understand what makes us who we are, but simply do not and always lands at “a grown man writing teenagers and not understanding us.” I wouldn’t call it frustrating, but just less-self aware. However, I don’t know a filmmaker who understands realism more than Harmony Korine.
The Californian filmmaker does come off as a surrealist arthouse filmmaker, he but tells stories of contemporary life in ordinary locations following unique people, understanding them from a deeper perspective rather than flat characters. Korine tackles the mental complexities with his characters and his style can come off as documentarian or guerilla-ish, oftentimes making his audiences feel uncomfortable. While his films divide audiences, his 2013 film Spring Breakers has divided everyone, and I believe it is one of the best pieces of American fiction out there.
Spring Breakers tells the story of four teenage students who are looking for an escape, a chance to get out of their mundane lives of school and family life and want to meet new people and try new things. Their escape ends up being spring break. Throughout the film’s first act, we see these girls stumbling to come up with money for spring break, from ideas ranging from impossible to time consuming, until they actually pull off the impossible. When describing how they got the money, the girls describe it like it was a movie, breaking into a restaurant and swearing to put the money in the bag and reaching movie-like performances as a fantasy. It is ironic because while the girls speak of these crude and violent actions, it is shown in a very hallucinogenic way, like a nauseating hangover banging on your head. However, in hindsight, it was more through their actions that spoke louder than their words.
Throughout their time on spring break, these girls are at their happiest, at times comparing this trip to be a religious experience, and they never want to leave. We see this as Selena Gomez’s character calls her grandmother detailing why she loves this trip. Although, that is when the dream-world ends and these young women must face reality head-on as they’re being arrested, freed, and manipulated to do things by James Franco’s Alien, their saving grace. While some seem on board with his dastardly plans of murder and rebellion, some are not, because that is simply not who they are, as these girls leave spring break with tears in their eyes. What was once a magical experience turns into an existential and messy series of emotions and self-reliance.
If you weren’t living under a rock throughout 2012 and 2013, you would know that the big headlines surrounding this film were Disney Channel stars Gomez and Vanessa Hughens were the leads in this film, which sent many in both shock and awe, while also confusion. People were not accustomed to seeing their beloved childhood stars grow up and do work outside of the House of Mouse.
Spring Breakers is told through colorful imagery and hyperactive spectacle, at times feeling like a time capsule of when it was released. Korine comments on this in The Guardian by saying, “There was something hyper-impressionistic and wild about the whole idea of it, and I’d never seen it done in an interesting way, […] Also, just in metaphorical terms, even the phrase ‘Spring Break’ and what it represents, what it can be, the idea of a destruction of innocence and disappearing into the night.” Spring Breakers is about leaving your childhood innocence behind and having to come to terms with the harsh realities of life and its mundanity, and how much it can be an overwhelming concept to grasp for a teenager who feels dependent on parents and loved ones. Korine casts these girls simply because they defined my childhood; they stood for innocence and security, and he took that idea of “what if the good girls went bad” and ran with it.
Spring Breakers is one of those films that think should be taught in film schools. It is a film about creative forms in an era of youth culture not seen in traditional filmmaking, while also having some beautiful cinematography and juxtaposed editing. When rewatching this film, I simply still cannot fathom its existence, and I wonder why many have problems with it, yet it tells a story so true to Generation Z’s culture and way of life.