I wouldn’t say the film was ‘fun’ but it was interesting and engaging and, despite lots of nudity, I was able to enjoy it.
The film is told in four parts with the events of one Summer replayed through the eyes of four different characters. We open with court proceedings and then jump into the first of the four chapters ‘Simon’. We meet the 8 main characters who are a mixed sex group of teenagers on the Dutch/Belgian border. All chapters open on ‘June 10’ and we see various events in an almost random order. Key events are portrayed differently in each, but it’s more ‘Rashoporn’ than ‘Rashomon. That’s not to say it’s all about titillation, more about young free spirits who start to get out of control.
The gang take a bike ride and after flashing some motorists they take over an abandoned caravan. Things seem quite idyllic at first but the party game of ‘can you guess what’s being shoved inside you’ gives a small clue that isn’t isn’t going to be ‘Swallows and Amazons’. Well swallows maybe…
We see that the leader of the crew, Thomas, is a psycho from the start, when he grabs a dog out being walked from his moped and drags it up the street. We also see that the gang have no shortage of money and despite Thomas being from a well off family it’s not initially clear where the cash comes from.
The uninhibited troupe soon start to up the ante with full blown motorway flashing resulting in a tragedy which they are largely dismissive of. We also learn early on that one of the girls dies in questionable circumstances and we have to guess who was responsible and whether anyone will face justice. As we enter Thomas’ segment things come to a head - prostitution, abortions and home made porn all show up - it was never like this at BB camp. As the missing pieces of the puzzle fall into place we wonder if anything can mitigate the horrible events and whether just desserts will be served to the right person.
I liked this film despite its incessantly dark tone and nihilist vibe. The cast do well with a script that demands everything from them and engages them in some pretty sordid acts. Thomas was best with his thin moustache and psychotic behaviour. The jury was out on most of the gang but events towards the end, shown from his warped perspective and reality, show that he was indeed the one to watch. The film closes with some ambiguity regarding his motivations but nothing can justify the dog.
The film wasn’t that full on in respect of nudity and sex, apart from one hardcore scene where they wore masks - I’d bet some porn stars were drafted in for that. Despite that concession the rest full engaged in some brutal abuse that was hard to watch.
‘Lost youth and innocence’ are well worn tropes and there wasn’t an explanation why everyone went along with the nefarious plans. True, there were some challenges but I guess Stockholm Syndrome and the allure of easy money are pretty strong motivations to the weak willed.
The editing was good with just enough information drip fed so that you stayed engaged and invested.
Overall a good but disconcerting watch.
Best Bit : When they were all still young and innocent! 17/23
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