The name Harmony Korine has always been scandalous. The Bolinas-born artist first attracted attention with his script for Larry Clark’s “Kids,” arguably the most controversial film of the 1990s. He then made his directorial debut with ‘Gummo’ – and once again people took to the barricades to accuse Korine of social voyeurism and exposing marginalized groups.
2012’s ‘Spring Breakers’ caused another scandal because it told, without any moral classification, how a group of young girls (including former Disney Channel stars) fell into the clutches of a gangster – and completely gave themselves over to their dark side. The theatrical version even had to show downplaying text panels at the end so that the film could receive an FSK-16 rating. It then appeared in home theaters with the red 18 seal.
Haven’t you seen “Spring Breakers” yet? Then you can now watch the wild rush with a Paramount+ subscription. Alternatively, the film can also be seen on Freevee, Amazon’s free streaming service. But here you have to be prepared for some commercial breaks.
That’s what “Spring Breakers” is about
Candy (Vanessa Hudgens) is not only a classic southern belle, but also a true adrenaline junkie. She likes risks. She wants to celebrate spring break in Florida with her friends Faith (Selena Gomez), Brit (Ashley Benson) and Cotty (Rachel Korine). But because they didn’t have the necessary change, they decided to rob a fast food restaurant. After that there is no stopping the girls:
They blow the money, party non-stop and eventually get arrested at a drug party. Fortunately, Alien (James Franco), a rapper, drug dealer and arms dealer, pays their bail. But the lifesaver also expects something in return: the young girls must get rid of his rival Arch (Gucci Mane) for them. And he really uses every means possible to achieve this.
An absolute rush
Where in the beginning you could have the feeling that ‘Spring Breakers’ was following conventional paths and talking about the party society of the 21st century, which indulges in absolute excesses, only to realize at the end that life in fixed structures is all the more desirable one, Harmony Korine actually goes two steps further. Yes, “Spring Breakers” celebrates the party culture of its fun-seeking protagonists. But not only to express the disinhibition of a generation in grisly images.
Behind all the drunken, hedonistic madness lies the swan song of a society gradually dissolving into its consumer madness. However, Harmony Korine does not formulate his criticism with a raised finger, but fights fire with fire by exposing without comment a completely superficial world that has been stripped of all values.
So you have to recognize for yourself that material lust, the whirlpool of neon colors and drugs, of sex and violence, is not shown for its own sake., but gradually exposes itself in the form of a lustful spectacle with its own resources. A thin, but all the more effective line: “Spring Breakers” is a gift in its defiant ruthlessness.
In addition, there are fragments and images that you will probably never forget (such as the use of Britney Spears’ ‘Everytime’), and you can experience an unleashed James Franco, who as Tony Montana 2.0 probably delivers THE performance of his life. . If you want to divide the audience, do it in such an unconventional yet sensual and ambiguous way.
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