Julien Donkey-Boy (1999)

In one of the special features of this film, director and writer Harmony Korine states that since the birth of cinema over 100-years ago, that film should be constantly evolving - that the stories become increasingly complex, the way films are shot become more intense, and the quality continues to grow. Yet, he believes in that same thought that films have only gone backwards. There is no complexity anymore to the stories, that creating a film in Hollywood today is too simple. Words that I completely agree with as I watch millions of our dollars poured into ideas and executions that have been done over and over again only to change the face on the poster. Yet, does Julien Donkey-Boy progress this evolution? Being a fan-of-sorts of Korine since his work with Kids and the utterly horrific (yet powerful) Gummo, I wasn't sure what would happen with this lesser received biography of a man from Korine's life. Korine, who uses some of the same actors over and over again, appealed and received a Dogme 95 certificate for this work - making the camera jittery, the editing rough, and the story a bit shambly. Creating the ultimate question, did Harmony Korine actually pay homage to his Uncle or merely raise his middle finger to Hollywood, denouncing storytelling for the John Waters' Pink Flamingo trick of shock over substance? A question that could loom throughout this review.

To start I must clear the air by saying that I liked what Korine had to say. To remove the glamor of schizophrenia that too often plagues Hollywood's glossy world, Korine took a bold step and trapped reality at its core. The character of Julien is detailed. Ewan Bremner, best known as Spud in Trainspotting, captures the true essence of Julien. I believed his character, and the disease that he struggles with. With that said, he was the only one that carried this film. Korine's story about this entire dysfunctional family begins and ends with Bremner. Korine's muse, Chloe Sevigny and Korine's mentor Werner Herzog just fill space as the film attempts to fill over an hour and a half. Each of these two characters add nothing complex to the story, they just are there to add to the "weird" element that Korine has employed to counter the need for a plot. He builds so much emotion around Julien by actually giving him screen time, that when we are merely handed screaming scenes and flash-photography moments for the rest, it just fails to give us that entire family dynamic. That is where Julien Donkey-Boy fails. I can respect it for being a low-budget art film that peels away the gloss of schizophrenia, but it just doesn't carry or excite you for the full two hours like Kids and Gummo were able to do.

Direction is what ultimately brings this film crashing down. Using digital instead of film is a powerful tool, and that isn't to say that some of the scenes (like that in the church and the finale under the sheets) aren't amazingly well shot and emotional, but Korine over-does it. From the beginning, you are left with less-visual, meaning the blurriness of what Korine believes is the Dogme 95 principle. With these blurry scenes, we just miss so much. The over-lighting, the graininess, and the real-life placement, honestly, is needed more in Hollywood today - but for Julien Donkey-Boy it just didn't work. We missed crucial elements that could not be rediscovered. Herzog's character being one of them. The lacking depth of Sevigny's role is another. The world where Julien resides outside of his home is another in an already over-stacked Jenga game ready to topple. I wanted to appreciate Korine's vision, but after twenty-minutes of the hand-held camera work being more prominent than characters, it honestly just fell short.

Found in my "Defining Moments in Movies" book, this ends my recent string of films. I must admit, I loved most of what I saw as well as those great "Re-watch" moments that took place prior. I am eager for the next as I think I will be able to enjoy my first short. None the less, Julien was not the film to end on. It was an attempt, but overall a failure. I cannot suggest this Korine to friends or family, nor can I watch it again. Gummo - yes. Kids - yes. Julien Donkey-Boy - no. This is getting a yellow highlight with black line, never to be watched again. Sorry Harmony, I know you can do better.