Spring Breakers

WOW this was legitimately fantastic. Spring Breakers isn't at all what it appears to be on the surface; something that should be abundantly clear if you're familiar with director Harmony Korine (my first film of his), and even more apparent if you see the rather divided response. Clearly this is a love it or hate it type of situation, and luckily I fell straight onto the LOVE IT category. It was such a hypnotic viewing experience...and while those are terms that might be thrown around often, I can honestly say that this was one of the best examples of a film that you can really lose yourself in. I think the editing and visual style plays a huge role in this, offering a freeform "mood" rather than straightforward sequences. There is a definite story here, but i'd say that the visuals, editing and plot all coexist perfectly to convey the central message and feeling at hand. At its core, this is about a glamorization of youthful hopes and dreams; the ideal getaway taken to the highest extremes while manipulating those who succumb to it. This deep neon haze of surface level remedies of the mundane. I absolutely loved how this was portrayed throughout, and to call this film artfully trashy would be a great descriptor for anyone looking to watch it. The music worked so well to create this upward (or downward, depending on how you view it) momentum, and it especially resonated with me due to the throwback of my early dubstep phase (oof, what a time that was). I knew that the music would be utilized well when I heard the overproduced "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites" played over a trashy beach party sequence...something about that combination just fits so incredibly well. And it's like this throughout the entire film, this combination of hypnotic pacing and visual style that makes the entire theme of the story come to fruition. I could lose myself in it for hours. Above all else, it's a stylish and subversive trip into a dream world through a perverse lens, where violence and drugs are fetishised as a means of escapism. Again: keep the term "artfully trashy" in mind when watching, and you might just fall in love with it like I did. It evokes that exact feeling in expertly crafted ways.