Making the Case for Spring Breakers

Spring Breakers is my favourite film of 2013. I would rob a diner wearing a pink ski mask if I had to, just to watch it again. Or to get my hands on a copy of it. 

Let's begin where it all began with a teaser trailer than in itself is award-worthy. Most teaser trailers are. But there was someone about this one that intrigued me more than most of what I watch on a day-to-day base. Opinions on the movie have been very split. Festival-goers thought it was fine, teenage boys were disappointed by its seriousness, film enthusiasts didn't know what to make of it and the average moviegoer didn't even see it. It became known as "the movie with the two Disney princesses going wild". But it is just so much more than that. It's a film that bends genres, combines them anew and creates something that I've never seen on a screen before. It doesn't work neither as a satire, a full-on drama, a comedy, a music video or a wet-dream, but it's the mixture of all these elements that elevate it to another level of film-making. I won't go so far as saying that Harmony Korine knew what he was doing. Maybe he was. More likely, he wasn't completely. He didn't create an art house film, I think, but neither does his movie appeal to a large group of people. Cult movie might be the right term - or rather: future cult movie. 

Spring Breakers is an experience. Remember all the people mocking Gravity for being too long and having too little actual story? I for one think that both of these movies have some of the best screenplays of the year. And just as furious as I am about the people not 'getting' Gravity, I am about the people not even trying to get Spring Breakers. Of course, one may dislike or not love the movie once they've tried to work out what it was trying to say. Even if you don't arrive at a result, I wouldn't argue with you. But to completely disregard some of the things I love most about this movie, is a sin to me. Its content and ideas go from depicting the hedonic excesses of spring break to exploring friendship between young women to a re-interpretation of the American Dream. Confused? I wouldn't say I'm not. I don't completely 'get' Spring Breakers? But I like it that way. A movie doesn't need to write its intention out. A hint can be enough. And if the hint is as poetically executed as in Spring Breakers, a hint can be equal to perfection. 

Thank you for considering Spring Breakers, Ladies and Gentlemen, here are the categories I'd like to see it nominated in:

Best original screenplay - The dialogue is kept to a minimum and very powerful and the whole story evolved very organically. Also, the whole Britney Spears montage is enough reason for me to make this movie win. In case Gravity doesn't.

Best sound mixing - The voice-over fits beautifully into the rest of the movie and I think the technicians managed to make spring break feel real sound-wise without keeping the attention away from what was important to the story. 

Best make-up and hairstyling - Because pink hair. And seriously, the person that deformed James Franco that way must've really done an effort.

Best film editing - Some found the scenes of the actual spring break to be a tad too long and music-video-esque but I found that they worked very well. I loved the slow pace that was somehow underlined by some very fast-cut scenes. How is that even possible?

Best costume design - Duh.

Best cinematography - Everything looked either absolutely delicious or absolutely disgusting in a delicious way. My favourite thing about the cinematography is probably the lighting though. We don't see enough neon in movies these days. 

Best ensemble - Each of the three ladies was giving her very best and all of their performances felt very natural and honest. Rachel Korine was my least favourite, but even she depicted her character in an interesting, layered way. Selena Gomez was very sweet and her fear came across wonderfully, while Ashley Benson and Vanessa Hudgens blew me away in two very raunchy and sexy performances. And then there's James Franco.

Best supporting actor - Again, I want to say duh. He's completely different from his usual self, not only look-wise, but also in the way he walks, talks, acts and whatever people do. The pistol scene alone should gain him a nomination.

I also would like Spring Breakers to create and to win these fictional categories: Best Poster, Best Use of Pop Music, Best Arrest, Best Nail Polish and Best Asses.

HONOURABLE MENTIONS

(MOVIES I THOUGHT ABOUT CHOOSING for various reasons)

This is the End • The Conjuring • The Bling Ring • How I Live Now • Michael Kohlhaas