Review of Gummo (1997) by Zachary L — 04 May 2016

I've only seen two other Harmony Korine movies, one being Kids which I loved and the other being Trash Humpers which I'm not actually sure qualifies as a movie. I liked both of them, especially the underlying dark humor and general angst. They both feel very punk rock.

I had always heard this was one of the most messed up movies ever made, and I also saw it repeatedly compared to Breathless so it's actually pretty unacceptable that it took me this long to watch it.

The Godard comparison mostly comes from the semi-improvised way that the movie was shot (a lot of the movie is shot on hand held), and in the jumpiness of the editing. But when it comes to the way that ideas are being presented there's a pretty big difference. Harmony creates this very strange trashy poetry that the world within Gummo operates on. Characters tend to be very blunt, and ignorant of the morals of their actions. Its kind of an anti-Slingblade where poverty and mental illness are shown in the most disturbing ways possible, and there's no resolution in sight. The movie slips into almost exploitational snuff film levels of depravity, sometimes played for laughs (there's a pretty great scene where a very drunk Harmony Korine tries to flirt with a midget), but more often than not it's just there to make you feel sick.

It's great.