Review of Suburbia (1984) by Chris J — 29 Aug 2007

SubUrbia deserves to be recognised as one of the great indie films of the 1990s. The script (adapted by Eric Bogosian from his play) is intelligent, thought-provoking, and does a great job of balancing drama with sharp, often bitter comedy. The talented indie cast- including Giovanni Ribisi, Parker Posey, and Steve Zahn- all give great performances in well-developed roles. Director Richard Linklater (Dazed and Confused, Waking Life, Before Sunrise) is again at the top of his game- solidifying his place as one of my favorite filmmakers.

Unfortunately, SubUrbia is a tragic case of a great movie that has slipped through the cracks in the years since its release. It went out-of-print (supposedly because of a conflict over who owned the rights to the original music Sonic Youth wrote for the film), and has still never found its way to DVD, despite these rights issues being resolved. As a result, it has been forgotten by many, and- despite being well-recieved when it came out- has not been given the reputation it deserves as a classic indie film.

A DVD release is finally planned for this fall, after Richard Linklater put lots of pressure on the studio, so hopefully it's not too late for the film to be rediscovered. It is certainly every bit as valid and timely now as it was in 1996. Apparently life in suburbia hasn't changed that much.