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﻿<title﻿>﻿New Socialist Magazine, The Doom Generation - Review﻿</title>﻿

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﻿<b﻿>﻿Film Review

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﻿<i﻿>﻿New Socialist Magazine, January 1996﻿</i>﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

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﻿<font﻿ ﻿size="1"﻿>﻿Review of ﻿<i﻿>﻿The Doom Generation﻿</i>﻿, directed by Greg Araki.﻿</font>﻿

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿


What the 'doom generation' says to Life in America is fairly explicit in this film Araki labels "a heterosexual film." "Life is lonely, boring and dumb". That is the response of teenage Amy, with her Uma Thurman (Pulp Fiction) look, to the only death which really shakes the trio up - that of a dog. 

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

Perhaps more interesting and what requires a bit more thinking about is what Life in America says to the 'doom generation'. Three youth (last names Red, White and Blue) join up after the first in a series of bizarre and grotesque murders. The plot is punctuated by consumption - of sex, of cigarettes, of clothing changes and of the most unappetizing junk food from fast food and quickie shops.

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

Most of the violence is motivated by scenarios of mistaken identity. For youth attempting to distinguish themselves from what came before by immersing themselves in a death culture, being just another face is terrifying. Especially when someone wants to own that face. 

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

Amy, her boyfriend Jordan and "X" - the guy they hook up with - are confronted by people who think they know Amy and want her back. The only defence is to kill and run. 

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The fast-pace and luridness of the film is contained in the tight shots and dark lighting which characterize it. Oddly enough, Amy and Norman, the young couple, seem rather naive despite their "style" and her hard-ass attitude. "X" leads them out of the happy coupledom of monogamy, heterosexuality and "Yes, dear"'s to the beginnings of an exploration of their sexuality and a rejection of the ownership of sexual partners. And no guilt either - that is for "old, married people". 

﻿<br﻿>﻿<br﻿>﻿

It works for them until the backlash comes in the film's devastating ending. Well, not quite the end. The film ends with a clumsy and what must be deliberate shifting of a bag of junk food so that we can all see the label. "Do you want a Dorito" A lot seems unfinished in this film but the constrictions of Life in America with its message of "consume these things and be happy" remain intact. 

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