Gregg Araki's ‘Kaboom’ Merrily Enters the Ontological Void

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CHICAGO – Rarely has the apocalypse appeared as trivial as it does in “Kaboom,” a disarmingly lovable mess of a picture that manages to work in spite of itself. It’s the tenth feature film directed by Queer New Wave icon Gregg Araki, who seems to be in an infinitely better mood than he was fifteen years ago, back when the Reagan era’s ignorance of the AIDS crisis was still festering like an open wound.
 
Araki’s anger was clearly reflected in his wildly controversial 1995 effort, “The Doom Generation,” which culminated in a hate-fueled bloodbath set to the tune of “The Star Spangled Banner.” The world always seemed to be in a perpetual state of ending throughout much of his earlier work, as young photogenic characters killed time and made love before hurtling toward some ambiguous inferno of doom. In purely structural terms, “Kaboom” has all the earmarks of classic Araki, though it is clearly the work of a more assured and content filmmaker.
 
2004’s “Mysterious Skin,” a galvanizing portrait of two men haunted by sexual abuse, is still the most powerfully raw and wholly satisfying film Araki has made. It demonstrated a newfound maturity and stylistic confidence that has been reflected though never quite equaled in his later work. “Kaboom” could’ve easily been the forgotten draft of an Araki script from the mid-’90s recently unearthed by the bemused filmmaker and put into production. I can imagine Araki sitting behind the camera with his tongue firmly planted in his cheek. The film is an unabashedly cinematic celebration of liberated sexuality and free-flowing creativity, without any regard to a coherent plot. Every time the characters pause to make sense of the surrounding chaos, their dialogue functions as little more than expositional excess. There is no mystery here to be solved and no clues to be found. It’s a valid possibility that the looming apocalypse could merely be taking place within the heightened mind of the film’s protagonist, Smith (Thomas Dekker), a film major as uncertain about his own sexuality as he is about the future of his favored art form (and his home planet, for that matter).

Juno Temple, Thomas Dekker and Haley Bennett star in Gregg Araki’s Kaboom.
Juno Temple, Thomas Dekker and Haley Bennett star in Gregg Araki’s Kaboom.
Photo credit: IFC Films

It’s difficult to determine what percentage of the film is a drug-induced hallucination, a nightmarish fever dream or an actual moment of uninterrupted consciousness. Of course, none of that really matters, since the film is ultimately about Smith’s colorful psyche rather than his mundane reality. The picture opens with its protagonist approaching his 19th birthday, while lusting after the giant “hammer” that belongs to his roommate Thor (Chris Zylka), whose loud brand of heterosexuality appears more flamboyant by the day. After a series of mindless sexual odysseys, Smith finds a potential soul mate in the form of London (Juno Temple), a pixie-like Brit with a razor-sharp intelligence and a bottomless carnal appetite. An evening storm gathers overhead as London assists Smith in achieving an orgasm, resulting in one of the film’s most tenderly observed sequences. Also getting lucky that night is Smith’s best friend and “partner in crime,” Stella (Haley Bennett), who is the sort of acid-tongued, witheringly deadpan female character that has become somewhat of an Arakian specialty. Her new girlfriend, Lorelei (Roxane Mesquida), is revealed to have powers of witchcraft that come in handy during lovemaking but become somewhat of a nuisance once the relationship starts crumbling. It’s right around this point in the picture when the killers in the animal masks start popping up…

During the film’s recent run at Sundance, many viewers instantly compared it to Richard Kelly’s wonderful angst-ridden head trip, “Donnie Darko,” which shares a variety of strikingly similar elements (namely: a hero with brooding visions, mysterious men in animal masks, and James Duval in the role of a prophetic messiah). Yet the two films could not be more different in terms of style and approach. While “Darko” took itself far more seriously and built to a climax of poetic poignance, “Kaboom” is a playful joyride through the epic delusions of a hormonal mind. Araki aims to convey his main character’s state of mind through a visual language both whimsical and visceral. The awkwardness, confusion and exhilaration of young adulthood is externalized by the exceedingly insane events that occur during the film’s second act. Time and again, alarming conflicts arise before swiftly evaporating. Like Araki’s previous feature, 2007’s underwhelming pothead comedy, “Smiley Face,” “Kaboom” is great fun for a while until its charms gradually grow repetitive. The fun starts to melt away as the audience begins to feel as confined as the characters, trapped in a plot that seems to be going nowhere fast.

Kaboom opened Feb. 18 at the Music Box and is available through Video On Demand.
Kaboom opened Feb. 18 at the Music Box and is available through Video On Demand.
Photo credit: IFC Films

If “Kaboom” had taken itself more seriously, it would’ve easily collapsed under the weight of its own absurdity. But Araki has taken the absolute right approach to the material, portraying it not as a self-important comment on modern times, but as a self-aware portrait of the vulnerable period in one’s life where every emotion has the potential to grow to the size of a movie screen, and every major crisis feels like the end of the world. In that sense, the film is rather touching and (dare I say?) irresistible. Araki has assembled a uniformly splendid ensemble of bright young talents, particularly Temple, who sports a natural radiance and biting wit that are utterly captivating. While some actors struggle to make Araki’s self-consciously clever dialogue sound remotely naturalistic, Temple embraces its off-kilter rhythm and delivers it with conviction, particularly during a memorable monologue where she instructs her fumbling male partner to treat her nether regions as if they were his own. There’s also great humor in the film’s production design, as witnessed in a college dining hall that’s shrouded in black, with a sign in the background declaring, “Welcome to the Ontological Void” (the place where intuitive minds go to ponder).

Working for the first time within a 2.35:1 aspect ratio, Araki clearly relishes the opportunity to explore his cinematic canvas like never before, utilizing split screens and multi-layered compositions to great effect. Beneath all the sexual frankness, ironic melodrama and Lynchian surrealism is the budding optimism of a filmmaker clearly encouraged by the sexually liberated views of an increasingly open-minded younger generation. No wonder why Araki is eager to reconnect with his early days of experimental freedom. “Kaboom” is a scintillating smorgasbord of humor and humanity, nihilism and fantasy, ecstasy and terror, all wrapped in one sparkling bow.

‘Kaboom’ stars Thomas Dekker, Haley Bennett, Juno Temple, Chris Zylka, Andy Fischer-Price, Brennan Mejia, Jason Olive, Roxanne Mesquida, Kelly Lynch and James Duval. It was written and directed by Gregg Araki. It opened Feb. 18 at the Music Box and is available through Video On Demand. It is not rated.

HollywoodChicago.com staff writer Matt Fagerholm

By MATT FAGERHOLM
Staff Writer
HollywoodChicago.com
matt@hollywoodchicago.com

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