Monday, April 09, 2012
ALIENATED YOUTH
Today's gay film was Gregg Araki's
Teen agers this time done in a stew of short vignettes many of which involve YouTube type videos by the "kids".
All of them gay. Some are partners. Two are lesbians who get many of the good lines.
There is a story arc that begins in the second quarter of the film. Araki helps with an arrow drawn over the action that says "narrative starts here".
Given the state of urban adolescence, I suspect that these kids aren't any more fucked up than straight kids. After all, they are urban and critical mass dictates there are enough other gay kids around to connect with.
There is not one adult in this film, at least not seen visually.
There is some sex. There are older sexual predators.
This film is very raw. I mean that in the sense of traditional film "rules". But it quite immediate and available. Kids are, after all, rather obvious. Green in the art of obfuscation, rationalization and complication.
I liked it a lot but wouldn't want to see it again as it is like its protagonists, shallow and, take away the jump cuts, a little boring sometimes.
I will give it a 3 out of Netflix5.
