Director: Sophia Coppola
Screenplay: Sophia Coppola
Starring: Israel Broussard, Emma Watson, Leslie Mann, Taissa Farmiga, Claire Julien, Katie Chang
Synopsis is here:
Sophia Coppola's work is best
described as films were nothing happened but something with the personage has defiantly
changed. The conflict is often internal and repressed with Coppola often
holding a steady distance, rarely condemning or condoning what's on screen.
Consider the mistakes that her male characters make in Somewhere and Lost
in Translation or how
she tackled the controversial reign of Marie Antoinette.
Her method often frustrates, as it goes against what many want to
see. Particularly when considering the privilege of her subjects.
The Bling Ring is winding down on the
end of its theatrical run and its reception has been mostly favourable but cool
(Rotten Tomatoes: 61%, IMDB: 6.4, Metacritic: 66%). It’s not hard to see why.
The film is inspired by the story of the Hollywood Hill’s Burglar Bunch A.K.A
The Bling Ring. A group of relatively well off white kids who decide to Google
the addresses of the rich celebrities they idolise and steal from them.
Sympathy
and empathy are
difficult to obtain due to the distance once again Coppola sets. There’s a
perverse voyeuristic quality that runs through the film as the gang set up each
robbery almost dispassionately with the aim to gain more material wealth. Much
of the film plays like a detached dream, revealing in the absurdity of the
exploits. Scenes show the gang frittering through glossy magazines while
draping themselves in stolen wares. One robbery; displayed one long, near static take, shows a vast house from the outside while two of the crew drift from room to room and pilfer indiscriminately.
I
gained a large sense of frustration and helplessness at what is looks to be a
sign of the times. In the world of The Bling Ring, good and bad are
meaningless. We are watching vacuous; well off kids stealing from richer people
who often pursue even emptier ideals. These characters say things that only highlight themselves and
elevate their own narcissistic lifestyle. It's troublesome to see teens act in
the way they do with the girls giving off such a false sense of empathy. But in
all honestly look who they are stealing from, and the life that they themselves
lead.
Coppola
streams the information with running blogs of celebrity's gaining DUIs and the
like. Remember that the Paris Hilton brand was originally started by a sex
tape? Meanwhile; the likes of Lindsey Lohan are more known for their antics of screen than
anything they've done on it these days. Not very celebrity victim deserves the
treatment they get, but it’s interesting to see which celebrities the teens gravitate
to the most. The lives of The Bling Ring are hinted as just as displaced and
troubled as some of their victims. Coppola doesn't judge and merely highlights the
links.
It’s been argued that the film
lacks any real depth and is as empty as the crimes committed. Yet amusingly; I
found the film’s seemingly hollow nature manages to make the film stand out
even more as a generational commentary. The devil may care, near psychopathic nature
of the ring’s quest for material goods, could have had them working for Enron
in a parallel universe. The passivity of the whole affair is equally
interesting. We never see a true outside reaction to the affair. Everything is
kept inside a bubble. There’s not even a sense of reprieve when it bursts.
Perhaps I’m thinking about this too profoundly, but the last moments had me
thinking of the bankers that helped crash the economy, Vodaphone and their tax
breaks, and of course many other powerful people who have seemingly gained
through dubious means in our current financial climate.
Coppola’s film almost accidentally delivers a microcosm
of how those with certain privilege may view the world. What makes the film so engaging is her
passive observation of the affair. We observe the girls rhyming along to rap
music with little to suggest they understand or care about the lyrics they
repeat. The slang they use to each other (cute, chill) is just as passive. The glossy
sheen of the magazine is spread liberally all over there life. Leslie Mann’s
limited yet funny role as the mother of two girls (one played by an exceedingly
provocative Emma Waston) in the gang sums everything up with her circle prayers
of a particularly wishy washy overtly liberal religion, using magazine cut outs
of famous celebs to illustrate life lessons.
Before the film was released, one
of the members of the crew; Alexis Neiers has considered and placed her
thoughts on the matter for us all to view. She’s has also considered the film
to be trashy and inaccurate. I agree that everything shown may not be the
complete truth. However, I don’t believe films to be an exact truth. That said,
Alexis’ stark blog post which hopes the film looks into the obsession in celebrity,
and a prevailing sickness that has invaded all of us in a particular way is incredibly
on point. Alexis also has a twitter following nearing 40,000. Suddenly I feel we've gone full circle and that pop culture will eat itself. I'm often wrong but I honestly think we've gone through the looking glass so hard that it’s
shattered.
Note: I've just read and found a great piece of further reading on the music of the film and white privilege I found to be worth a look.
