I guess my ultimate problem, besides the brutal experience, is there was nothing I could find to take away from it. pix, were you just more receptive to the experience, or did you get something more out of it that I didn't?
Strangely hard question to answer. I guess I am pretty receptive to observational/voyeuristic/documentary type filmmaking and just the sense of location and subculutre on display is almost enough for me. I'm not big on themes!
But to dig in to that a little more, I'll try to articulate what I liked about what was probably my favorite scene in the film:
It's the scene in the kitchen where Casper (who might be this kid's older brother) and a few of the older guys are coyly asking the younger kids about their sexual experiences. First off, as with much of the film, I love how real this moment feels. It was probably scripted, but I honestly couldn't say for sure. Second, I love the counterpoint between the sweetness of his kid and the debauchery that surrounds him. Third, I love the sense of tragic fatalism of this moment, where it seems so certain that Casper represents this younger kid's future; and it's a future this kid wants — so much so that he's already playing the role. Finally, I love the slight tenderness of Casper's response, the way he half plays along with the kid even though he knows he's full of shit. (The whole thing actually reminds me a little of the puppet show scene from
The 400 Blows, but more on that another time.)
There's also a great payoff to this scene a little later when the young kid is lying passively on the couch and just sort of giggling ticklishly and innocently while a girl lies on top of him kissing his chest. It's adorable and tragic at the same time.
And that, in a nutshell, is what I got out of the movie.
pixote