Gummo
100/100
Gummo may be the greatest film of all time to represent humanity and those around it. It discusses life in such a vulgar and disgusting and yet bittersweetly beautiful way.
I read somewhere that Bunny Boy is meant to be a metaphor for Religion and the sadism of God, and that he is an allegory for Jesus. In the first scene where we see Bunny, he’s looking down at everyone else on his own, sometimes spiting, sometimes urinating, showing God looking down to Earth from above, and spitting (figuratively) as an allegory for the tornado that strikes Xenia. Then in the next scene we see him get shot by the pellets and then get up again, this symbolising the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and Jesus then arising 3 days later. After we see Bunny Boy skating out in the streets with his arms out; this also being a metaphor for Jesus’ crucifixion and how he set humanity free.
On a simpler interpretation of Bunny Boy however; his character seems to be a juxtaposition to the entirety of Xenia and its characters. Bunny’s are shown as innocent and pure, and Bunny Boy is cold, pure and innocent as apposed to the rest of the Town. Solomon looks about the same age as Bunny Boy however while Solomon is fucking prostitutes and killing cats, Bunny Boy is playing the harmonica and playing pretend with others.
On the film in general; Xenia shows a place that it knows the viewer isn’t comfortable with, the intense violence against animals and the disgusting conditions of Xenia are something that, if you’re able to watch this film, are most likely not familiar with at all.
As an overall summary for this film; Xenia is a synecdoche for the entirety of humanity, whether it’s the perverse nature of it, or if it’s the purity of youth, and Harmony Korine masterfully directs and articulates the entirety of this masterpiece.