Harmony Korine's Trash

September 10, 2009 1:02 AM

Trash Humpers

A film unearthed from the buried landscape of the American nightmare, TRASH HUMPERS follows a small group of elderly Peeping Toms through the shadows and margins of an unfamiliar world. Crudely documented by the participants themselves, we follow the debased and shocking actions of a group of true sociopaths the likes of which have never been seen before. Inhabiting a world of broken dreams and beyond the limits of morality they crash against a torn and frayed America. Bordering on an ode to vandalism,it is a new type of horror; palpable and raw.

posted by philip-random (43 comments total)

You are bad and you deserve to be punished.
posted by nanojath at 1:07 AM on September 10

That laughter is infectious.
posted by stavrogin at 1:08 AM on September 10

The incomprehensibility of What Is It combined with the video quality and cheap menace of a documentary on The Goddess Bunny — I'm sold, baby. My second, immediate thought, "Which one of my friends won't hate me forever if I con them into watching it?"
posted by adipocere at 1:11 AM on September 10 [3 favorites]

the horror
posted by philip-random at 1:13 AM on September 10

You don't think he's trying too hard to be outrageous, do you?
posted by msalt at 1:23 AM on September 10

He's no Jem, that's for damn sure.
posted by stavrogin at 1:25 AM on September 10 [2 favorites]

He so.... edgy.
posted by chillmost at 1:30 AM on September 10

Anyone who doesn't like this is a traitor and a muslim and possibly an atheist.
posted by Avenger at 2:06 AM on September 10

usually I frown upon this, but

wat.
posted by arcolz at 2:22 AM on September 10

I sort of expected a sequel from those dudes who like to hump ottomans.
posted by exogenous at 4:54 AM on September 10 [6 favorites]

Looks like Spike Jonze and his ilk.
posted by zerobyproxy at 5:04 AM on September 10

(yawn, sigh etc)
posted by The Salaryman at 5:09 AM on September 10

I hope they didn't cherry pick the best parts of the movie for the trailer.
posted by digsrus at 5:45 AM on September 10 [1 favorite]

Not enough trash, and the wrong kind of humping. I'll wait for the Michael Bay remake thanks.
posted by Rat Spatula at 5:46 AM on September 10

I'm completely confused. I guess I'm super-uncool?
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 6:10 AM on September 10

Judging by some of his other trailers, the director appears to be an actual filmmaker. Hmm.
posted by Antidisestablishmentarianist at 6:15 AM on September 10

On IMDB, and stills (one shot NSFW) from Toronto Int'l Film Festival, which lists 3 locations where it'll be playing in the next few days (Scotiabank Theatre 1 and 2, and Jackman Hall) and has some more text on the film:

Tired vocabulary like “enfant terrible” and “provocation” is a constant threat when writing about Harmony Korine and his films. Trash Humpers is no exception: creepy masks, low-grade torture, frequent public urination, senseless vandalism and the title, acted out on defenseless garbage cans, all have a confrontational panache about them to be sure. But the film is also full of poetry, dance, song and moments of aching poignancy.

Harmony Korine's IMDB profile, wiki profile, and an unofficial fansite. The fansite has this tagline for the film: "handheld video of a loser-gang cult-freak collective who do antisocial things in a non-narrative way, except for the song-and-dance numbers."
posted by filthy light thief at 6:33 AM on September 10 [1 favorite]

frequent public urination

Dear God no! Is there no limit to the depravity?
posted by Horace Rumpole at 6:45 AM on September 10

Korine is so fucking trendy. I liked Gummo despite itself and myself. But watching this before reading who had made it I thought it might be an old friend who used to work for/with the Wooster Group.

Just, Korine works so damn hard at being outrageous, I'm always aware that I'm watching something OutRaGeous!
posted by From Bklyn at 7:02 AM on September 10

Huh, it looks like a legitimized Street Trash, interesting. Probably fewer keep-away penis scenes though.
posted by khaibit at 7:30 AM on September 10

I really expected a "your Moms" comment by now... I'm so proud of you all. and a little ashamed of me
posted by drowsy at 7:37 AM on September 10

I'm proud of your mom.
posted by Rat Spatula at 7:47 AM on September 10

I like it. But I'm not sure why. Reminds me of "Even little people started small" by Herzog
posted by evanlr39 at 7:49 AM on September 10

Korine on Letterman, pt. 1

Performance art? I dunno but I like how he holds his own against Dave
posted by jcruelty at 7:51 AM on September 10

Korine or Letterman, pt. 2

I would say I'm a much bigger fan of his appearances on Letterman than his actual movies. (I have 'Crackup at the Race Riots on my to-read list, but let's just say it is not at #1)
posted by jcruelty at 7:52 AM on September 10

Dang. I was hoping it would be something like Roof Sex. (NSFW, audio)
posted by SLC Mom at 8:14 AM on September 10

Avenger>Anyone who doesn't like this is a traitor
Avenger>and a muslim and possibly an atheist.


Excuse me?

Let's replace either Muslim or Athiest with something else and see how it reads. Try African, Hispanic, or Jew and see if your joke comes across as funny.
posted by burhan at 8:37 AM on September 10

This is why they make child-proof pill bottle caps.
posted by Potomac Avenue at 8:50 AM on September 10

burhan: "Excuse me?"

I figured he was just quoting my recent comments about Muslim athiests.
posted by idiopath at 8:56 AM on September 10

Harmony Koine is maddening because there is obviously some talent there. Gummo has some really powerful moments and indelible images. That doesn't stop it from being an indulgent piece of shit. Maybe if he stuck to shorts and forced himself to edit down to the bone he could create something wholly remarkable.
posted by Bookhouse at 9:43 AM on September 10 [1 favorite]

Gummo has some really powerful moments and indelible images. That doesn't stop it from being an indulgent piece of shit. Maybe if he stuck to shorts and forced himself to edit down to the bone he could create something wholly remarkable.

Apparently the original cut of Gummo was better part of 4 hours long and Korine absolutely refused to change it ... until literally EVERYBODY who'd seen it (various friends, fellow filmmakers etc) told him he was being an idiot.
posted by philip-random at 9:48 AM on September 10

I like Harmony. I'd watch this, but I probably won't get a chance.
posted by mrgrimm at 10:11 AM on September 10

Let's replace either Muslim or Athiest with something else and see how it reads. Try African, Hispanic, or Jew and see if your joke comes across as funny.

That wouldn't be an effective parody of the current conservative climate in the US.

What are you, some kind of born-again family-first fascist?
posted by cmoj at 10:18 AM on September 10

I like it. But I'm not sure why. Reminds me of "Even little people started small" by Herzog


first thing I thought, also.
posted by gcbv at 10:35 AM on September 10

This is not a good post. It just isn't. 47 seconds of weird stupidity on YouTube, I've been more entertained watching that cat stick his head under the faucet. Maybe there's a brilliant, misunderstood, cutting-edge, edgy or controversial film here, but without some supporting links giving me some context as to how or whyit's brilliant, misunderstood, cutting-edge, edgy or controversial, it's just like every other 47 second YouTube of some guys acting goofy for their friends.
posted by scalefree at 2:53 PM on September 10

This is the guy that did Kids, yeah?

That was a good movie. For some definitions of the word 'good'.
posted by empath at 6:15 PM on September 10

scalefree: This is not a good post. It just isn't. 47 seconds of weird stupidity on YouTube,

Would it be better if it was 4 minutes? For the record, I considered loading the post up with more background info on Mr. Korine, but ultimately decided it worked better in as unadorned a context as possible. Even the paragraph of plot description I included felt like it was undermining the pure WEIRDNESS value of it.

Clearly, you disagree. But others (including adipocere) don't share your position:

The incomprehensibility of What Is It combined with the video quality and cheap menace of a documentary on The Goddess Bunny — I'm sold, baby. My second, immediate thought, "Which one of my friends won't hate me forever if I con them into watching it?"
posted by philip-random at 6:44 PM on September 10 [1 favorite]

Bookhouse nailed it. I watched Gummo a lot during my formative years, and yeah, it is ridiculous, but for my adolescence and the time (mid-90's) it hit on something.
posted by fillsthepews at 9:14 PM on September 10

I have seen The Idiots, and you sir are no Idiot.
posted by asok at 7:10 AM on September 11 [1 favorite]

This is the guy that did Kids, yeah?

He wrote Kids, but Larry Clark directed it.
posted by Bookhouse at 8:00 AM on September 11

Would it be better if it was 4 minutes? For the record, I considered loading the post up with more background info on Mr. Korine, but ultimately decided it worked better in as unadorned a context as possible. Even the paragraph of plot description I included felt like it was undermining the pure WEIRDNESS value of it.

To somebody who has an appreciation of who this guy is & what his other projects are, I'm sure it's a piece of craftmanship & art in keeping with his body of work. But to me it just looks like a bunch of guys goofing off in their backyard, shot on a cellphone. Maybe 4 minutes would help me see some larger pattern but if it's just more of the same idiocy, probably not. But then I don't think that box of crayons is worth such an astronomical sum either.
posted by scalefree at 9:06 AM on September 11

Thought 1: "Oh, a Harmony Korine parody. Hilarious!"
Thought 2: "Oh, this is actually by Harmony Korine. That's not quite as funny anymore."
Thought 3: "On second thought, maybe it's even more funny."
posted by mubba at 12:11 PM on September 11

I can think of at least two things wrong with that title. /Nelson Muntz>
posted by dgaicun at 2:47 PM on September 11