Review of Dude (2018) by Fatness E — 09 Sep 2018

For all the positives Netflix brings, by far its most influential is the ways it purposefully exposes the larger community to films that mainstream studios tend to stray away from. Netflix has now become the platform to view a number of different stories from a perspective that has been hidden for the last 100 years of film and really establishes a new era of cinematic consumption.

The high school, pre-college, "prom is the greatest night ever" story is not what make's Dude (2018) fit within the Netflix experience. Dude defies the high school film trope, exposing you to four women, each at a cross roads, examining drugs, masturbation and post high school life. This story has been framed from a male perspective for too long, and has been sugar coated for the pre-teen market. Dude is all about female discovery.

Previously cinematically taboo subjects come to the fore as each character comes to grip with changing environments while trying to survive their current one. Lily (Lucy Hale, Pretty Little Liars) is some cliché riddle caricature of a character. She is a control freak but is still not able to handle the changes that are happening around her. The character can be a chore for some but is the glue that holds the ensemble and supporting characters together.

You then have Rebecca (Awkwafina, Oceans 8) who is the comedic relief within the film but cannot be dismissed as some run of the mill Allen from the Hangover character. Amelia (Alexandra Shipp, X-Men Apocalypse) is a real powerful presence on screen and impressive in moments that call for her to do so.

The real star of the four is Chloe (Kathryn Prescott, Skins), who is forced to be the emotional anchor and does so with Carey Mulligan like grace.. This role does limit her showing of other aspects of her talent, but what it does do is exemplify her ability to hold and control the audience even when she is not the primary focus.

Writer (Oceans 8) and first time director Olivia Milch should be applauded for the unapologetic presence she created during the film. What most impressed me is some of the subject matter that was touched upon which took this film to another level and really had something to say.

One very short scene in particular proved to me that not only is the film more than the sum of its parts but is powerful enough to make me rethink preconceived ideas. With not going into too much detail, as I want you all to experience it for yourself, the scene revolves around the idea of consent and what "consent" actually means.

Originally I thought the movie miss-used such a powerful scene, as it will never dwell or reflect on the actions that took place. But as I walked away from the film I began to think that this was not a failure of the film but a success.

It came to perfectly personify what consent should and shouldn't be seen as. The reality is that most women will not dwell or dramatize what happened, even though it's clear it has an effect. The scene going no longer than 2 minutes occurs and will never be deeply dissected even though its undercurrent lasts throughout.

It was almost a beautifully told moment in the film that totally changed my view on what I thought was a binary topic. While I was on the right side of the fence, that doesn't mean I could totally understand what consent actually meant. This scene helped me understand this and should be commended for doing so.

The films subject matter will be deeper than one expects as four strong female leads come to grips with adulthood and the anxiety that comes with that. Olivia Milch should be praised for what she has achieved here, a film that has something important to offer and yet can still be enjoyed for its surface value.

No matter how good or bad people may think this film is, it should be important to reflect that without a platform like Netflix, this story may never have been told.