Review of Slacker (1990) by Alex K — 02 Apr 2017
In Slacker, Linklater has crafted his ultimate indie opus. His film is a portrait of a certain type of people living on the back roads and travelling through the main streets of Austin, Texas. We explore Linklater's Generation X style subjects by jumping from one person to the next, never focusing on one for more than a few minutes before we meet the next on our journey.
It's a compelling style, no plot and no main characters, and bold as well; long takes and smooth camera sweeps are prevolant, and pulled off really perfectly. Audacity isn't enough to motivate a 100 minute movie though, and Linklater keeps us watching with a series of humorously presented plights, from absurd television collectors to everday car fanatics to fanatic conspiracists.
The color in the people of Slacker is enough to paint the screen completely. Linklater claims he wasn't out to make a portrait of a generation, but it's hard to deny it now. Not only did his film held define the next decade for independent cinema, it helped show us the positive side of the word Slacker, and grow to love these twenty-something faux-philosophers in a way.
.. even if we still absolutely loath a few of the self-indulgent fucks.
This review of Slacker (1990) was written by Alex K on 02 Apr 2017.
Slacker has generally received positive reviews.
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