Who is The Chosen Son and what the f *ck does it all mean?
There is a lot going on in writer/director Gregg Araki’s new film KABOOM. Most of the frantic energy emitted from the film is refreshingly welcome, although often jarring and jaded. Araki, known for his intensely hip indie films such as MYSTERIOUS SKIN and THE DOOM GENERATION, has created a sex comedy for a new generation, but it’s much more than just crude sex humor.
KABOOM is a comical science-fiction story about a group of college students, each experiencing a unique sexual odyssey. Laced with undertones of horror. The title is catchy, but if KABOOM were renamed to describe what the viewer should expect, it may go something like… “Donnie Darko Goes to White Castle While Horny and Tripping on Acid Made by David Lynch.”
Thomas Dekker (HEROES, 7TH HEAVEN) plays Smith, a sexually confused young man and the central character around which the rest of the crazy, hormonal universe of KABOOM revolves. Haley Bennett (THE HOLE, MARLEY & ME) plays Stella, Smith’s lesbian best friend and lover to Lorelei (Roxane Mesquida), a strange, exotic woman with mystical sexual powers. Juno Temple (THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, ATONEMENT) plays London, a promiscuous pleasure guru who befriends Smith.
Smith is haunted by visions of a troubled red-haired girl (Nicole LaLiberte, DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS) and violent men in animal masks. KABOOM is a bizarre journey full of plot twists and shocking jolts of abstraction. Araki has employed a nearly over-saturated color palette and stark contrast in lighting to pack punch into the heavy, uncomfortable scenes, while keeping the lighter moments resembling an R-rated TV sitcom version of THE BREAKFAST CLUB.
Araki’s dialogue is sharp and witty, at times nearly too much so. His stock of supporting and bit characters span an array of modern stereotypes, but the humor works well enough to summon laughter, even during the less original moments. While the first third of KABOOM skates by mostly on raunchy humor, sex and nudity, the remainder of the film will have many scratching their heads and others applauding it as a pseudo-psychedelic work of modern art.
Pay attention when watching KABOOM. This is not a leisurely popcorn flick. Those who enjoyed DONNIE DARKO, LOST HIGHWAY, or THE RULES OF ATTRACTION are likely to enjoy this film. Those who prefer a tidy, typical and safe ending to their movies should tread with caution when seeing KABOOM, but I still recommend you tread to see Araki’s imperfect, yet challenging and entertaining film.
In the end, the audience will be split between those who love KABOOM and those who hate it… determined almost exclusively by the viewers’ preconceived notions (if any) of what they were expecting to witness on screen. Some may say Wes Craven’s SCREAM franchise changed the rules for the horror film, but Gregg Araki’s KABOOM takes the rules of the horror film, rolled them up and smoked them, baked the ashes in a batch of brownies and got high again, just for good measure.
Overall Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
