Main Street Magazine Spring '23

and we have chosen to ignore them. It’s easy to laugh at sci-fi dystopian films and think
“that’ll never happen, it’s just fiction!” But Children of Men is not just a possibility: it is a
warning. Reminiscent of so many disgusting periods in history where we as a collective
species have judged, captured, tortured, and killed one another, Children of Men is the
film personification of history repeating itself, and a reflection of the flaws our society
struggles to find a solution for.
La Haine (1995)
Director: Matthieu Kassovitz
Country of Origin: France
Synopsis: “24 hours in the lives of three young men in the French suburbs the day after a
violent riot.” - IMDb
Review: La Haine can be thought of as a predecessor to Spike Lee’s Do the Right Thing:
a powerful film that depicts a day in inner-city life for a Black community being surveyed
by a destructive and problematic police force. La Haine shares many similar themes and
a similar overall message, but is undeniably a fantastic stand-alone film with its own
take on police brutality. Based outside of Paris in the 1990s, we can see tensions boiling
over as social and economic divides become violent. A stolen gun, three friends up to
no good, and a shocking black and white color grading make La Haine an entertaining
watch for the first 90% of the movie. Nearing the finale, however, is where things take
a turn. Though the main characters are likable at first, built with real flaws and intricate
personalities, their behavior slowly becomes more depraved as the situation around them
worsens. Innocent slaps become grueling violence, and the raging revolution around
them fuels a dark turn within the last two minutes that leaves viewers on the edge of their
seats. To top it all off, the film ends with a frustrating cliffhanger and the repetition of a
single phrase: “It’s about a society falling… on the way down it keeps telling itself: so
far, so good. So far, so good. So far, so good. How you fall doesn’t matter. It’s how
you land.” The reflection of this internal struggle suddenly being shifted onto
society puts the entire film into focus, while also perfectly symbolizing the
intensity of grunge. Grunge is about conflict and struggle, but it can also
be about how you choose to overcome the struggle. Do you keep falling,
and choose to accept your fate? Or do you find a way to land and move
forward? While not necessarily as visually grimy as the other films on this
list, La Haine perfectly resembles the more emotional side of this oddly
appealing aesthetic.
Requiem
for a Dream
(2000)
Director:
Darren
Aronofsky
Country of Origin:
USA
Synopsis: “The druginduced
utopias of
four Coney Island people
are shattered when their
addictions run deep.” - IMDb
Saw (2004)
Director: James Wan
Country of Origin: USA
Synopsis: “Two strangers awaken in a room with no recollection of how they
got there, and soon discover they’re pawns in a deadly game perpetrated by a
notorious serial killer.” - IMDb
Review: Saw is a classic mystery horror film that I felt was necessary to include
on this list. No other movie in this article falls under the blanket genre term
known as horror – not even Parasite, which is universally categorized as a
thriller. Saw forces us to squirm uncomfortably in our seats as we are presented
with filth in all of its mediums. I would like to also briefly mention that Saw’s
relatively minimal budget of $1.2 million proved not to be an issue, as the movie
was launched into success and has remained one of the most profitable horror
franchises in the industry. The main setting of Saw — an abandoned, disgusting
bathroom covered in grime, dirt, and fecal matter — is extremely unpleasant to
look at. The gore and violence displayed, specifically in Jigsaw’s death traps,
are foul; yet, audiences across the globe return to these movies time and time
again. Visually, Saw perfectly encapsulates the more disgusting side of
grunge, removing the romanticization of this aesthetic and approaching the
more savage aspect that is not seen as much on everyday grunge moodboards.
On the other hand, Saw also delivers the filth in its story. The idea of a killer who
punishes those who do not “appreciate life” forces me to rethinnk how I view the
world, making Saw an eye-catching and, in some discomforting ways, relatable
film.
Parasite (2019)
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Country of Origin: South Korea
Synopsis: “Greed and class discrimination
threaten the newly formed symbiotic
relationship between the wealthy Park
family and the destitute Kim clan.” - IMDb
Review: Parasite is phenomenal. It lacks
nothing and packs so much drama,
laughter, and thrill into just over two
hours. It is a staggering contrast
between the life of wealthy socialites and
the despair of the poor. Smoking cigarettes
on a toilet that’s overflowing, flooding a grimey
and unkept bathroom; holding your phone to
the top corners of the ceiling for just a single
second of data connection; impersonating a
lavish lifestyle that could never be yours, and
discovering a dark secret below the surface;
these are the horrors that Parasite shoves
front-and-center. The significance of this
showcase
Review: If I had to summarize
Requiem for a Dream in one
word, it would be “horrifying”. I’m
not limited to this one word, though,
so I’ll take advantage of this opportunity
to warn you: this movie is not for the
easily disturbed. The film begins, visually warm
and welcoming. But, by the end of the movie, the
coldness of addiction has shifted us into a permanent
gray area, riddled with infections, dirt, screaming, tears, blood, and
sweat. While one glance at this Aronofsky masterpiece may seem
like a standard “don’t do drugs, kids” PSA, a deeper dive proves that
this movie has a clear, sinister message: the darkness of drug abuse
goes much further than addiction. It is rooted in insecurity, self-loathing,
and disguising affection for destruction. No, this movie does not exist to
send a message, but rather, it exists to send a warning. It acts as the small
voice in the back of your mind that pleads for you to stop drinking. It begs
you to put the needle down. It promises you that another trip isn’t worth it. It
screams at you that your lungs won’t survive much longer. This movie is a warning
— a warning that we all need to hear.