Eva Husson's Bang Gang: A Modern Love Story opens with a bang, pun intended, featuring a well designed tracking shot that introduces the viewer to the world they are about to experience, one full of promiscuity, sex, and drugs. The sequence is designed to shock and titillate, documenting this wild party among various high school students, doing so before any form of characterization has begun. From there the film goes back to the beginning, introducing us to the lives of of these various characters, attempting to divulge exactly how all of these unique teenage characters went down a singular path. Bang Gang: A Post Modern Love Story is a film about the confusion and codependency of youth, specifically focusing on bewilderment as it pertains to love, lust, and companionship. While I'd argue the film doesn't bring anything particularly new to the table in this specific examination, Bang Gang is effective at capturing how one hides their true feelings under the veil of promiscuity, with both George and Laetitia, two of the primary female characters in our story, each turning to sexuality as a way to feel wanted and desired. I'm sure there are some that will fixate on the gender politics of this story, but i'd argue they are completely missing the point, as nearly all these characters, both male and female, struggle to express themselves due to their lack of parental guidance. At its core, Gang Bang is a film about the importance of people learning from their own mistakes, never making excuses for these characters actions while simultaneously acknowledging their lack of guidance. The way the film documents the parental figures throughout the film is one of the more interesting artistic aspects of the entire film, acknowledging their presence, though often regulating them to the background of the film. Whether it be keeping them in the background of the frame or literally having them outside of the composition entirely, Bang Gang visually captures the lack of guidance these characters have, never blaming the parents, simply showing them through the perspective of these teenage characters. While Bang Gang achieves much of what it sets out to do, I'd be re-missed if I didn't comment on how didactic the narrative can unfold at times, being far too forceful in design, particularly when it comes to the free sex & drug elements that seem to intentionally push the boundaries for the sake of scoping its themes. In fact, I'd argue one of the most fascinating aspects of Bang Gang is completely unintentional, being that it exposes the toxic effect which collectivism has on the individuals' ability to think for themselves. There is no better example of this than the character of Gabriel, a young, loner type character who harbors some resentment towards his parents. Gabriel is the only character in this story with any form of responsibility, an outsider due to his obligations when it comes to helping his disabled father. Due to his responsibility which the others lack, Gabriel is the only character who recognizes the toxic effect these sex parties are having on his peers, particularly George, who has essentially lost her self respect and identity due to wanting to fit in with the crowd. Gabriel's individualism is the spark that helps George reclaim her self, as Gabriel shows empathy towards George, valuing her for more than her external beauty. Far too didactic at times, Bang Gang: A Modern Love Story is a film that teeters on the edge of being too forceful for its own good, with the film's most interesting aspects being related to individualism and the importance of learning from ones own mistakes.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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