Published at: June 27, 2006, 6:30 p.m. CST by staff
Hey, everyone. Capone in Chicago here, with a quick look at the latest from
a writer-director I'm guessing a lot of you have some opinions about.
I
happen to like most of Larry Clark's films, but I think people are going to
have a much easier time digesting and appreciating Wassup Rockers. Read
on...
It's a little too easy to categorize writer-director-photographer Larry
Clark (Kids, Bully) as a middle-age man obsessed with the lives (and often
the sex lives) of young people under the legal age limit to drink, have sex,
or even drive. Clark's films are filled with the shocking accounts of the
actions--sometimes deviant, usually dangerous--of teens who either live like
they think they will live forever or don't care whether they live to see the
next day.
Wassup Rockers manages to be something different while still staying on
topic. Here, Clark's lens falls upon Hispanic youth living in South Central
Los Angeles. These particular kids stand out perhaps more than any other in
their high school. The are essentially skater kids who listen to and play
skater punk rock, wear tight pants, and have long, shaggy hair. They are
often picked on by the black kids at school, who berate them for not
conforming to the gangsta lifestyle, fashion, or music trends. They are also
fiercely loyal and protective of each other. Clark hung out with this group
of kids for a year before attempting to tell their story and casting them
(non-actors all) to play themselves.
The film opens with the de facto leader Jonathon (Jonathon Velasquez)
speaking to the camera as if being interviewed. He speaks in a monotone, but
somehow that makes his power of his words hit harder. He details various
stories about himself and his crew, some funny, some painful. Although the
script is credited to Clark, it becomes clear that the first half of the
film is a barely fictionalized account of events that actually happened to
these kids. One boy attempts suicide by submerging his head in a sink full
of water. It seems funny until you realize he really doesn't understand that
you can't drown yourself in the sink.
We follow the group of genuinely nice kids as they knock about in and out of
school. They drink and talk about sex, even the ones who are still virgins.
Eventually the group ends up at a skate park in Beverly Hills, where
something resembling a plot begins to take shape as they get harassed by the
police, hit on by two curious white girls, and beaten up by the girls' male
friends and relations.
The boys are forced to make their way through the
back yards of various mansions in the Hills, stumbling upon the strangest
and most bizarre people and gatherings. Clark gets his chance in these
scenes to unload on the freakish nature of Hollywood parties, fashion
glitteratti, and poseurs in general. Look for a self-effacing cameo by
one-time supermodel and current reality show star Janice Dickinson.
By dialing back the sex and violence, Wassup Rockers becomes Clark's most
accessible work and his most affectionate towards his subjects. He clearly
has a great deal of admiration for these kids and gives them all a chance to
shine in the film. With names like Kico, Spermball, and Porky, how could you
not love them? The film is filled with slice-of-life accounts that move
gracefully from being scary to funny to outright heartbreaking.
There is a
sense that these kids, despite all that life has piled up against them, want
so much more out of their lives, and they will do what is necessary to make
their lives as fun as possible until that day comes. With a pounding punk
rock soundtrack and an electric cast, Wassup Rockers is a loving and lovable
character study about people whose lives never make it to the big screen,
and clearly deserve to. The film opens today at the Landmark Century Center
Cinema.