Review of Spring Breakers (2013) by Ray S — 12 Nov 2013

As I mentioned earlier, I saw Spring Breakers last night. My second viewing. The film is very entertaining. It's one of the films of this year that depicts my generation, (sadly) what we're all about, what we think of, what we dream of. Our generation embraces the culture of partying, doing drugs, taking no shit from nobody, giving no fucks whatsoever. The other film that is along the lines-more tamed-in the sphere of adolescence is The Spectacular Now. The film is full of perverted men, nymphets, drugs, partying, robberies; chaos to Skrillex and Cliff Martinez.

The direction of the film is a bit of place. Out of place in the sense there's a lot that goes on in the film but it barely progresses the story. For about 45 minutes to an hour, we mostly see partying. We do see robberies done by the girls in the first act to help fund themselves for the spring break of a life time. The girls here, these girls are nuts. A bit deranged, very self-centered and determined about what they want. They don't fuck around. The only one who has somewhat of a conscious is Selena Gomez' character, Faith. Faith's a devout who's seeking an escape from reality. She's the only character that has dimensions to her. The rest, not so much. They just want to have fun but that's all the girls want. They really don't give two shits about whatever happens to them, except when all the girls are locked in jail. Alien, that guys is a fucking character. James Franco played him pretty well. Just like the girls, he tries to have that "escape" from reality and it shows with the possessions that he has (guns, drugs and furniture). He embraces the girls because the only thing they have in common is partying trying to be above everybody else. Gucci Mane's character, Big Arch, isn't pleased about it. Not one bit. He took Alien under his wing and now Alien is fucking around. Returning to the direction, Harmony Korine does a great job handling the partying scenes. The man gets in there and leaves no stone un-turned. We get so much from every angle possible and presented in different ways, such as iphone type of footage. He wants it raw and we're getting raw. It gets ridiculous but isn't that the point of spring break? To take to the next level, to escalate beyond the point of no return. Especially in the sequence where Alien sings and plays Brintey Spears. Korine supports his characters as vulnerable as they were in that moment, they all join together, feeling the moment and Korine captures it. He has style. He gives a tour guide of spring break and if foreigners were to see this film, they have a glimpse what my generation is at. The extras in the film were having fun, not caring. The film made grin throughout. The editing is pretty crazy and it makes the film feel like a house party but far superior to Project X. The cuts don't stop, Korine keeps us interested, like if he's giving us coke or ecstasy and we take and we don't look away from the screen. His editing acts like the effects of a drug. We hear voices, we hear gunshots and reloads for sound effects when they're shouldn't be. We sometimes listen to the same line of dialog throughout because we're now in that zone of between dream and reality; numbness. I was just so content on how the film just presents its ridiculousness. There's little dialog during the first half of the film. It gets more serious when Big Arch has become a prominent force. The plot itself is very simple. The ending was bad. I didn't like it. I didn't like that the two girls survived when all of Big Arch's henchmen were armed. There weren't a lot, but there were enough to take them girls down. It threw me off a bit.

What I like about the film is the presentation of my generation in a negative way. There was controversy on how women were depicted in the film, especially the four major characters. People were pissed off on how women behave in slut-like manner, battered by misogyny and are capable of mindless killing. The girls here wanted to go to spring break, simple as that and the type of character they are, were determined to do anything to leave. Their desperation of escape is a universal notion that's not limited to gender. I saw men in the film. They were acting a fool. Boys were being boys, trying to score drugs, trying to get laid and behaving higher than themselves. The four women are quite aware of what they are capable of and aren't shameful of how they present their sexuality. They're at a place where anything goes, where they can be free. No barriers. They felt empowered. They didn't let men take 'em down. They did what they want, even in the end of the film. The one thing that some people fail to understand is that they're naive, in the root of it all. Them girls are naive, they themselves fail to understand. We should notice that instead of judging them. They know what they're getting themselves into. Faith left early in the film. She didn't know what she was getting herself into. She should have been aware ever since they all stepped into "the promised land." She couldn't handled. At least she had the nerve to leave when it wasn't too late. Good on her.

If I were to give it a score, it would be three out of four. The film's plot is very basic but the heavy shit that goes down makes up for it. Korine is a good director and knows how to keeps interesting and also is smart using the partying scene to his advantage. He created a style within that film. If the plot was better and the characters had more development, then I would give it four stars, without a doubt. I'd like to see it. In fact, if I get the chance, I'd buy it. Nifty film.