Slacker (1991)

'I think I got really lucky with Slacker. That was a film that probably shouldn't have been seen.'
- Richard Linklater

'Slacker' is a film formed from a series of vignettes that weave and blend in and out of mostly nameless, insignificant citizens of Austin, Texas. The entire premise of 'Slacker' ties in with Richard Linklater's character's (named 'Should Have Stayed at Bus Station') idea of realities separating off into alternate tangents depending on the decisions we make. 'Slacker' plays on this, with the film wondering down the alternate paths of other characters, rather than focusing on just one of them.

'Slacker', although interesting, has left me feeling just as lethargic as all of its "slacker" characters. The film encompasses the feeling of lazy sunny days and has a distinct lack of energy in its camera movements, aesthetic and in its characters. The film highlights the mundanity of these "everyday" lives, losing touch of reality in both a profound sense and literal, psychological sense in some cases. The distinct lack of a soundtrack causes 'Slacker' to seem hyper-realistic and completely grounded, with the only music being diegetic sounds from speakers (bar the ending) and live performances, giving the film a super-8, documentary feel. The live music features dead-end lyrics and furthers the frustration of the characters who are trying to find some kind of meaning in their lives. The script is full of characters spewing out profound drivel that is meaningless in the grand scheme of things but helps give the "slacker" lives more meaning. The entire film is juxtaposed with eccentricity and lethargy and Linklater captures the bizarre yet drowsy mundanity of Austin. 

The final scene, however, is full of energy and music but this is bittersweet. The characters on screen are seemingly younger than the film's other characters. To me, it seems like a statement about the naivety of youth and the blissful nature of their lack of awareness about their "slacker" fates.

Whilst Linklater's 'Boyhood' is more to my taste, I found 'Slacker' a very interesting watch and felt like it would be right at home if it was playing in a gallery.

Bowling for Columbine (2002)

'Bowling for Columbine' runs deep with subtle humour but the film's content is far from humorous. Instead, this comedy serves to highlight the shocking normality and mundane nature of gun violence in America, as well as the immune attitudes that American citizens appear to have towards it. Whilst the documentary's satire helps Michael Moore to deliver his agenda with a punch, the film also tackles several very serious issues about gun crime.

One scene that particularly stood out to me when watching 'Bowling for Columbine' was the one in which Moore pulls together a collection of old footage portraying a multitude of victims of weapon-based violence all around the world and across the history. These images of dead bodies and victims being shot would be harrowing enough on their own, but Moore plays Louis Armstrong's 'What a Wonderful World' over the top of them with cruel sarcasm, similar to the shots of poverty in 'Roger & Me' with the Beach Boys' 'Wouldn't It Be Nice' playing over the top. The juxtaposition between the music and the violent footage is brutal, making the footage seem ever more appalling and chilling.

Moore's interview style resembles that of an interrogation in many cases, portraying the people that he interviews as "villains". However, in more vulnerable moments, Moore eases up and demonstrates a more reassuring, human nature to those that he believes deserve sympathy, such as when he speaks to a teacher about the Buell Elementary school shooting.


What stands out the most about Moore's style is that he uses subtle humour, sarcasm, irony and satire to drive his points into the audience, as well as subtly ridiculing some of his interviewees like an inside joke that Moore and the audience are in on. Without this style, maybe 'Bowling for Columbine' would be just another documentary about gun crime and it wouldn't be quite as hard hitting and subtly manipulative as it is.