Review of Suburbia (1984) by Rob T — 02 Jan 2010

Richard Linklater is one of Hollywood's most versatile directors. He likes challenging himself by venturing into unfamiliar territory. His credits include 'Dazed and Confused', 'Before Sunrise', 'The School of Rock' and 'Fast Food Nation'. 'SubUrbia' is one of his more lesser-known films, however it is one of the best films I've ever seen in my life. Based on a play by Eric Bogosian, its simple premise: A group of slackers philosophically converse on the corner of a convenience store whilst waiting for their friend who has 'made it' as a rock star to arrive. I use the term 'philosophically' loosely; they talk about a whole range of things, but it's generally pretty powerful stuff. And not all of their discussion takes place on that corner; they move around the neighbourhood, but that corner is their second home, where most of the discussion takes place. The rock star friend doesn't arrive at the film's conclusion, instead he and his publicist join the slackers fairly early in the film. This is very positive for the film, as his inclusion shakes things up.

The convenience store is run by a Pakistani couple who frequently challenge the slackers about their lives. "Don't you have lives to live? Why choose this particular corner? Don't you realise that you are wasting your lives? Get off my property! You are all drunken and stupid!" Those aren't the exact lines spoken, but you get the drift. The film touches on issues such as consumerism, racism, freedom of expression, fame, the monotony of life, the effects of drugs and alcoholism. Yes, the film basically consists of plenty of talk, but that's what makes the film as excellent as it is. The characters are so real, and it's likely that you will empathise with at least one of them. The film is so tragic, in that it shows us the dark side of life, but isn't that what we need to see as an audience, in an era where Hollywood seems to sugarcoat their films with happy endings? You see, the reality is that not everything in life will go your way, that some people just 'exist', and make nothing of their lives, that there are people who are more well-off than you. 'SubUrbia' opens our eyes to the harsh brutality that transpires everyday in our world, that we may not be aware of.

One of my favourite scenes is where the character Jeff, played flawlessly by Giovanni Ribisi, strips naked, goes out to the middle of the street, and screams "FUCK FEAR!" His point is that we can do anything if we're not afraid of the consequences; limitations exist only in our mind. I'm sure this movie will change many people, or at least give them some new insight about society and the world we live in. Coincidentally, I only watched this film out of boredom. It was showing on 'Movie Extra', and I thought I'd take a gamble and give it a watch. Boy, was it worth it! I say 'coincidentally', because in the film, the characters are waiting to catch ambitions; they aren't bothered to seek them. I could have waited for a movie that I truly wanted to watch to come on, and spend the night bored out of my mind, but instead I took a chance on 'SubUrbia', and it's something I'll never regret.