Harmony Korine was the man behind the script for one of the most controversial films of the 90's, "Kids", and one of the strangest of the 90's "Gummo". He's a talk show personality to behold; his Letterman interviews are hilarious and he himself is a very funny man. Now, my relationship with his films; I thought "Kids" was pretty brilliant, a bleak film about teenage sexuality, pulling no punches whatsoever. I thought "Gummo" was interesting, but some scenes interrupted the flow of the film and seemed to be trying too hard. "Julien donkey-boy", his Dogme 95 film, from what I've seen is insane and brilliant, Werner Herzog drinks cough medicine from a slipper. I have yet to see "Mister Lonely" but it looks slightly interesting. Now, "Trash Humpers". I have been anticipating this film for a long, long time. It looked like a creepy, nightmarish film with a clear sense of humour. Ever since I saw the longer trailer I've wanted to see it, and I finally got to.
This film was infuriating and annoying to say the least. I wanted to love it before seeing it, but at a certain point I gave up hope. The film, shot on VHS in the age old "found-footage" style (it plays like a film found in the bin behind a shopping centre), follows four elderly people (actually younger people in masks) who roam streets, car parks, garages, houses etc. vandalising and violating everything in their path, and committing some ever more serious crimes along the way. If you haven't heard of this film before now, looking at the title, I know what you want to ask... yes... they hump bins. I don't know why, but it's funny. It's one of the few things in the film which worked.
Now, onto the reasons it was infuriating and annoying... for the most part, the film is silly, juvenile and... just plain bad (the monologue about what life would be like without a head was notably pathetic, as was the boy in the suit demonstrating how to murder a doll), but every now and again, Korine will insert a scene or image or event which has a genuine sense of creepiness or, sometimes, comedy. For one, the final few moments, where the female "humper" enters a home and takes a baby in the middle of the night, walking it down the middle of the road singing a creepy lullaby. That scene had an authentic nightmarish quality to it, and will stick in my head for quite some time. A film like this, a series of vignettes, can be judged separately, but as a whole, it's pretty stupid.
I think it was Korine's objective to divide his audience. Making a film like this, he has to expect a huge divide. He has stated that any reaction to the film is the right one, and that he can see why some people have been so verbal about their hate for the film.
My final thoughts: A mostly idiotic, juvenile, repetitive and childish film, with some slight merit in it's occasional injection of nightmarish humour or plain old atmospheric creepiness, overall though, a huge, annoying disappointment from Harmony Korine.
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