The Spring Breakers, I have always felt, is fascinating since it is a shallow film - but where, as I see it, *shallowness itself* is the message and subject. In other words plenty of films prove shallow - something which, as we all know, is easy to do; this one shows vacuous culture and lifestyle, through processes of absurdity - think Franco on the bed with his firearms - no doubt aided by moments of improvisation, in a way that echoes the message. There's a human tendency to seek inherent value and meaning in life and this film leaves the audience alone to find any, as we watch unique and bizarre individuals in a distinctly hollow subculture. By this director Harmony Konne, who also made Gummo and Kids , shows a world that is flashy and trivial (albeit with striking moments) through a crime drama with an over-the-type James Franco in party mood and, indeed, parties and party-folk everywhere. (A 'party' of course has more than one meaning) The film was selected to compete for the Golden Lion at the 69th Venice International Film Festival. Despite my above words, on the looking for meaning in his films Korine states, "I think people will lose the film as soon as they start trying to figure out my logic or what I'm doing or while they're watching it start to dissect metaphors... I'm not really so interested in it working on a purely cerebral level. I'm much more concerned with it on an emotional level and that you leave feeling a certain way". Either way it is well worth a watch.
Review of Spring Breakers
