Four college girls want to spend their spring break vacation in Florida. A bevy of teen beauties, they are played by Selena Gomez (Wizards of Waverly Place) Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), Ashley Benson (Pretty Little Liars) and Rachel Korine (the director’s wife). Seemingly the only students left on their college campus, they’re desperate to join the rest of their friends in Florida. They want to have fun but there’s a problem. They have no money. Brit, Candy, and Cotty (minus “good girl” Faith) decide their sole outlet for quick cash is to rob a diner so they can afford their trip. At first the jump from college coed to hardcore criminal seems like a stretch. However Spring Breakers also functions as a character study of wayward youth. At times I was reminded of films like Thirteen or Alpha Dog in its view of teens gone wrong. This seemingly incongruous behavior actually belies latent tendencies that will be brought to the surface in a horrifying display.
Spring Breakers would appear to be a fun in the sun escapade full of carnal hijinks and randy shenanigans among older teens. Director Harmony Korine’s view of these creatures is decidedly nihilistic. What else would you expect from the screenwriter of Kids? His take is unique. What Korine does is take the “Girls Gone Wild” template and thoroughly turn it on its ear. The cinematography is stylish. It’s appears like an MTV video – a candy colored vision of sun soaked beaches, golden tan bodies, techno music and beer. Yet this is as much a biting comment on pleasure seekers in Florida as it is a cautionary warning for the youth of today. Korine lulls the viewer into a false facade of good times. Montages are frequently utilized to create hallucinogenic sequences that act as sort of a narrative shorthand. These are extremely well edited. They are accompanied by random bits of dialogue, creating a building sense of anxiety and dread. Listen to James Franco intoning “Spriinnnnngggg breaaaakkkkkk.…Spriinnnnngggg breaaaakkkkkk.” The mantra becomes the spoken word equivalent of an earworm you cannot forget.
Speaking of unforgettable…James Franco. He gives a supporting performance worthy of an Academy Award. “My name’s Alien. My real name is Al, but truth be told, I am not from this planet y’all.“ The girls first encounter him at a beachside concert where he’s perforating as a rapper for the spring break crowd. Their paths will soon cross again in the future. As the cornrow wearing, teeth grill sporting, drug dealing white rapper with a southern drawl, he completely embodies the individual so perfectly you forget it’s the actor in the role. It is a mesmerizing achievement that is possibly the greatest James Franco has ever committed to celluloid. Yes he got an Oscar nomination for 127 Hours but his work here is even more revelatory. The four girls are quite effective in their parts as well. Viewers familiar with Gomez and Hudgens from their Disney Channel work, might be surprised seeing the starlets in a racy R rated tale. Gomez is the real standout here mainly because she goes through the biggest change. I only wish the other 3 weren’t all blonde (Hudgens dyes her hair) as it’s difficult to differentiate between the other three characters.
Spring Breakers is an intriguing film. What initially starts out as a superficial focus on hedonistic desires evolves (devolves?) into a nightmare come to life. The visual sequences build on repetition to the point where the audience is desensitized to all the wild partying. At first all the attractive young coeds in various states of undress threatens to become a part of what it ultimately condemns. Even when the girls are in a college classroom their minds are focused on less academic pursuits. But just when you acclimate to the debauched surroundings, the director ratchets up the intensity. There are scenes that have such an uneasy feel, they degenerate from a lighthearted good time into horror within seconds. The picture grows dark. It’s that ability to juggle a rapidly shifting narrative that makes Spring Breakers such a fascinating watch. It’s much more than what the trailers promote. It dares to show the consequences and for that reason, Spring Breakers deserves your attention.
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