Review of Wetlands (2013) by Eduardo V — 16 Sep 2014

Wetlands.

Wetlands 2013.

??? 1/2 Watched 15 Sep, 2014.

This film is going to be difficult to stomach for anyone lucky enough to see it. Life is smelly, disgusting, and dirty. Wetlands, for the length of it's hour and 45 minute runtime, looks at the coming of age of Helen. Remember all the punks you knew or would see in high school? They don't even compare to how rock and roll Helen is, swapping tampons with her friend Corinna and masturbating with Vegetables. After years of strict hygiene forced upon her by her mother, she rebels by sitting on dirty toilet seats, picking at her hemorrhoids, and frequently gauging her excitement based on the texture of her vaginal fluid.

Frankly, this is the most daring movie I saw this year, above all, it is satisfying. Although the script meanders and roams around many times, the performance of Carla Juri makes this film worth the trouble of seeing it. Is it a selfish film? Maybe. There is one story line in particular that isn't resolved in quite the way I wanted it to, but ultimately, it doesn't matter. Perhaps Helen can close that particular chapter on her life and move forward.

David Wnendt's direction makes the film extremely visually appealing. Whenever Helen is on her skateboard, the camera moves as freely as she does. Close ups dominate many of the sex scenes, getting extremely personal, for both the character and the viewer. This film is so rock and roll in nature, I love it. This is the most rock and roll film I've seen since The Wolf of Wall Street at the end of last year.

If you're lucky enough to find this picture playing in a theater near you, go see it and go in with an open mind. You may get more than what you bargained for, but the grossest film of 2014 certainly does not disappoint.