With Britain’s decision to leave the EU more likely to viciously affect the up-coming generation of financial salarymen and Underground Indie Folk artists than the frustrated, liver spotted and poorly-educated country folk who voted for it, it is safe to say that the prospect of being a “millennial” has gained about as much certainty to it as a Socialist Democrat trying to gain a Congressional seat in Arkansas. Indeed, a portion of the Baby Boomer generation appears to be doing everything in their power to roll back on societal and economic progressive milestones such as abortion and health care-reform and effectively splinter the millennial foot with a rusted drill, all for the sake of national pride and a fear of brown people. So we, those who have born between 1990 and 2000 (the "Suite Life of Zack and Cody" generation) must now do some inward reconciliation and education about what we are and what we can be in these times so trying it causes our skin to itch harder than a July-Arizona Sunburn. “Art” is perhaps one of the best ways to accomplish these individual and societal reflections, with “cinema” in particular being the canvas with which we will use for those purposes at this time. Film’s ability to sensually immerse us into a subjective environment can open us up to new realizations about the world around us, specifically the time we are living. Here are the five films that I believe best showcase the millennial ideals and experiences, elements that may define for us for the rest of our lives.
"Blue is the Warmest Colo"r: Possibly the best romantic movie to come out in the current decade, Abdellatif Kechiche’s "Blue is the Warmest Color"’s exploration of a Parisian girl’s sexuality and anxiety is both hyper-realistic in structure yet crushingly vivid in scene-building. The film puts a great deal of emphasis on the banality and slowness of everyday experience, with 12-minute scenes built around a conversation of job prospects on a school bus, or an awkward search for someone to talk to at a Gay Bar. The film’s devotion to realism is achingly realized, similar to the level which was achieved with Chantal Ackerman’s "Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commence, 1080 Bruxelles" a film in which activities such as washing oneself in a bathtub and potato peeling are as crucial as Darth Vader making up for lost father-son bonding. Not only does "Blue is the Warmest Color" succeed in effectively immersing us into it’s protagonist’s perspective (a sequence involving the chaotic noise of a house-party filled with Bohemian hipsters being a standout) but it it also a fascinating exploration of the changing sexual norms of the millennial generation, who have shown a more diverse openness to sexual and gender identity than the generations beforehand.
"Spring Breakers": A film that I believe is very difficult to hold a passive opinion on, Harmony Korine’s "Spring Breakers" is one of those movies you will either love or hate. It is very possible you may deride the film as a sexist exploitation of former Disney stars indulging in all manner of senseless debauchery such as allowing their stomach to become cocaine tablet or committing mass shootings at Gucci Mane’s house while wearing nothing but yellow bikini’s and pink-wool masks. Whether you enjoyed it or not, "Spring Breakers" will no doubt leave a strangely tinted taste in your mouth, a taste which explores the hyper-sensitized and increasingly ridiculous indulgent mindsets the millennial generation has no doubt explored. With entire scenes taking place on crowded Miami beaches and hotel rooms with well-toned half-naked bodies in sunglasses drinking, drugging, dancing and fighting, "Spring Breakers" may appear as a celebration of such norms though the progression of its plot and characters suggests an emptiness at the heart of this extreme stimulation. The four protagonists seek colorful solace from their boxy and grey mid-western college where the only source of entertainment seems to be looking at the Cheeto stains on the mouths of bible-club members. Only St. Petersburg Florida with its massive collegiate orgies of electronic music and Jack Daniels can provide necessary enlightenment. While every generation has had its moments of excesses via the party/stranger sex pot (the Fitzgerald-explored 20s come to mind) the millennial generation differs from the fact that such excursions can be accessed at almost any time and at any place what with the advent of the internet, and "Spring Breakers" capitalizes on the convenience of collectivized madness as both its tone and character development backbone. Though you just might think of it as an objectifying piece of celluloid trash. That’s fine too.
"The Bling Ring": Another film that explores emptiness at the heart of excess, Sophia Coppola’s 2013 fictionalization of Nancy Jo Sales’ article “The Suspects Wore Louboutins” showcases the hollow nature of fame and prestige seeking, factors that have been commonplace for many who decide to leave their footprint on social media. A much dryer and precise film than "Spring Breakers" "The Bling Ring" offers up an analysis of similar characters, though one’s that feel a bit more fully-realized. The characters, at first glance, appear to be the embodiment of life’s highest virtues; clubbing in establishments frequented by Kirsten Dunst, flaunting designer shoes, dresses and purses, and partying in large, rum-drenched houses made up of tanned and symmetrical twenty-somethings. However, almost of all them have found themselves in dried ruts; Nikki and Sam Moore forgo school for commercial-acting job seeking and learning about the law of attraction from Leslie Mann. Marc is a deeply insecure perpetual school truant and Rebecca is less a human being and more of a husk who hungers fame and extreme stimulation via cocaine, dubstep, and Rolex watches. In order to feed their newfound Beverly-Hills wannabe lifestyle, they resort to robbing the homes of Orlando Bloom, Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan among others, always talking the time to create make-shift fashion shows and pole dance excursions during the crimes. "The Bling Ring" is a fascinating look into the personality types of those addicted to fame and external validation, where the appearance of being famous can seem just as euphoric as winning a Nobel Prize. Considering how easy it is for millennials to be wrapped up into the vortex of “likes”, “shares” and “following” of Instagram, twitter and snapchat via the portrayal of experiences more fascinating than the mundaneness of the majority, The "Bling Ring" takes an immersive look into the mindset of such a methodology and is a must watch for any seeking to understand the appeal of digital self-hood. On a side-note, the film contains Emma Watson’s best film performance to date as her sociopathic portrayal of the empty Nikki Moore manages to be both uncomfortable and hilarious, with a face that never seems to change beyond “photo-ready” and a high-pitched monotone whilst spouting clap-trap about “wanting to lead a country someday.”
"Dope": A good old-fashioned hang-out film in the same vein as Dazed and Confused, Clerks and "Friday, Dope" follows Shameik Moore’s Malcolm as he tries to sell-off some high-grade molly in an attempt to gain admission to Harvard. The film explores the nature of identity and meta-narratives prevalent to the millennial mode of thought, as he and his manga, Game of Thrones, and 90s Hip-hop loving friends find themselves at odds with the chaotic, and crime-drenched environment of South Central Los Angeles. The film showcases an excellent character arc in Malcolm who is forced to adapt to his extreme-circumstances in an attempt to fulfill his dream as an Ivy Leaguer while also striving to stay true to his own nerdy and introverted values. The main theme of "Dope" can be summed up by its line “not fitting in means having to look at the world from different perspectives” which in turn relates to the millennial quest for identity in a simultaneously stagnant and inconsistent environment. As Malcolm struggles to compromise his values for the sake of achieving his goals, so too must our generation figure out if it wants to follow our elders via the way of established salary jobs and political leanings, or craft our own societal roles in order to create brand new narratives. It’s also got an excellent moment of cinematic wonderment featuring texting, backyard party molly-dealing and "Workaholic"'s Blake Anderson that creates a brand-new film convention via social-media’s relationship with money-making.
"The Social Network": The film that more-or less condenses the themes of the previously explored films into one 120 minute foray into the creation of Facebook, "The Social Network" manages to be not only a thrilling look into the primordial stage of the dominant form of millennial communication, but also a universal narrative of deceit, ambition and insecurity. From the initial Rooney Mara break-up scene onwards, "The Social Network"portrays a Mark Zuckerberg who resorts to creating an opus of computer engineering in an attempt to feel whole and relevant to the community around him, a feature more or less serving as the nucleus of social media itself. The film also portrays a Harvard that, despite being the most prestigious university on Earth, cannot help but create more and more elaborate levels of hierarchy within itself, effectively saturating its student body with an addictive need to be as “top-tier” as possible. Not only has the film become increasingly relevant since its initial debut in 2010, where its themes of prestige seeking and interconnectivity are as core to millennials as top-down economics and LSD use are to their forbearers, but it remains eternally watchable thanks to its superb script, enticing direction and masterful editing. Also who would have guessed Justin Timberblake would excel in playing an arrogant, annoying, stuck-up, pretentious, over-the-top doucheschnauzer?
