I have been wanting to view this film ever since I saw it featured on "I Love the
80's" a few years back. So going in I had high expectations that this film would blow my mind--being the opposite of a John Hughes film and all. Heathers was a crazy and interesting film, that kept my attention from beginning to end. But this film defintiely pissed me off.
When DJ and Victoria begin committing "murder/suicides," there is no real motive or explanation. The plot and the characters give no reason to sympathize with the characters and/or to truly understand and justify their decisions to murder. Not until more than halfway through the film do we start to "understand" why DJ is so messed up (his parents and homelife) but I still feel it doesn't justify Victoria's involvement.
The reading goes into this as well, discussing how Heathers breaks the hollywood narrative structure. Most films introduce motive right in the beginning, so everything after makes since or can be understood by the audience. But Heathers breaks that structure, leaving the audience frustrated and confused for the first hour. I mean, I sat there awe struck at how these two teenagers just shot guns and put cleaning fluid in mugs and kept their cool. When films break away from the narrative stucture that is predominantly used, it throws the whole film off kilter and sends the audience through loops (which is most likely the intent of course).
Being a film major, students are taught how to write the "narrative structure" --- three acts, climax, resolution, blah blah blah. I get really annoyed with structure nad how Hollywood and teachers say it has to a certain way- especially if you want to make money. And I have no problem with films that do not use the normal structure because it is different. But some films just piss me off, like Heathers, because the rational is so absurd and I just couldn't connect with the characters enough to say "Yeah, their killing is justified and this makes so much sense with the film's comment on teen suicide."
Another film that I suggest to others to watch is the film - Funny Games. This is a film that will definitely piss you off due to not following the Hollywood structure. In my opinion it is one of the most clever films that addresses the absurdity of Hollywood narrative and audience expectations.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree that Veronica's involvement with JD isn't very justified. But at the same time, everything else is so ridiculous. I think maybe because Veronica is the main character and she seems saner than the rest, we hold her up. We can't help but want her actions to make sense, even though she's starring in a movie that's intentionally illogical.
ReplyDeleteAlso,
Did you like or dislike that Heathers broke from the narrative structure?
Overall, I really did like the film for being different and breaking away from the narrative strucute. I love when films frustrate me as much as this one did.
ReplyDeleteIn that case, I definitely misinterpreted your opening paragraph when you said, "But this film definitely pissed me of." I can see what you're saying, though. The viewing process can be frustrating when you're thrown so many curve balls. (I find myself using baseball terminology on your blog -- I think it's because of the hat you're wearing in your profile pic.) I personally enjoyed the curve balls.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, welcome to postmodernism. The reading would have been good here, because what you describe is also what the reading discussed--the way our expectations were broken, not only narratively, but also emotionally. It was deliberately shallow--all about style and surface and attitude, in a sense perhaps mocking our attempts to find meaning in details the same way that adults read into the 'suicides.' Funny though that the violation of narrative convention bothered you in this movie though, and not in the others we've seen that do pretty much the same thing.
ReplyDelete